In a surprise six-hour operation conducted by the Lokayukta police team, two commercial tax and three Regional Transport Office (RTO) outposts in the State were searched and excess money to the tune of over Rs. 1.3 lakh were seized on Tuesday at 5 a.m.
The officers found that private persons were engaged to collect money from drivers. Lokayukta sources stressed the need to have CCTV cameras at the transport office and commercial tax outposts to reduce corruption and loss to the government exchequer.
The search was conducted based on a warrant issued by Upalokayukta Subhash B. Adi under Section 10 of the Lokayukta Act.
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The RTOs searched were at Bagepalli in Chickballapur district, Hubballi, and Hagari in Ballari district, and the commercial tax outposts were in Haggari and Nangili in Kolar district. Each one had excess money ranging from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 94,000.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg. Many lorries carrying vegetables, machineries and other equipment were let off without proper checking and collecting tax,” claimed a Lokayukta source.
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Officials claimed that the operation was kept secret. “We formed a WhatsApp group for communicating the movement and we struck at the same time,” added the source.
The report will be submitted to the Upalokayukta and then forwarded to the State government.
Meanwhile, G.R. Shanmugappa, president, Federation of Karnataka Lorry Owners’ and Agents’ Association, said that he has submitted a letter to the Chief Minister about the harassment meted out on lorry drivers at commercial tax outposts. “But there has been no action,” he claimed.
He claimed that officials at some of the checkposts take money from drivers and even allow the lorries to pass without checking them properly. “Even RTO checkposts take money, but the commercial tax checkposts are worst. Most of them do not have lights too,” he said.