The RTA officials recruited some private personnel unofficially to collect money from each passing vehicle and Rs 35, 000 unauthorised cash was found during the raids.
Published Date – 28 May 2024, 06:18 PM
Kothagudem: Disguised as drivers ACB officials have conducted raids at RTA check post on AP-Telangana border at Aswaraopet in Kothagudem district on Tuesday and recovered unauthorised cash allegedly collected from truck drivers.
The ACB Khammam range DSP Y Ramesh speaking to the media informed that there have been complaints of illegal cash collection by RTA officials from trucks passing through the check posts.
The RTA officials recruited some private personnel unofficially to collect money from each passing vehicle and Rs 35, 000 unauthorised cash was found during the raids.
Unauthorised workers were detained and Rs 20, 000 was found with them. Unauthorised workers were paid by the RTA staff and officials. When ACB sleuths reached the check post before the RTA officials arrived at the check post, some drivers offered cash to ACB officials mistaking them to be RTA officials, Ramesh said.
He said that the concerned MVI was in civil dress during duty hours as against the rules. It showed his negligence as he was in a uniformed service serving at an important check post. An amount of Rs 200 for 14 tyre truck, Rs 400 for 16 tyre truck, Rs 600 for a 18 tyre truck and so on was being collected.
The money was being collected even as all the documents of the load and the vehicle were in proper order. An automatic system was put in place to collect the money deliberately based on the number of tyres of the truck like a hundi system, the DSP said.
Legal action would be taken and action would also be taken against the private personnel working at the check post to collect the money as a tax from in the name of ‘passing’. The practice has been going on for some time. Inspectors B Sunil Kumar and N Shekhar besides staff took part in the raids.
