KOCHI: As many as 11 buses were caught in Kochi on Thursday during surprise inspections carried out by the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) on interstate private buses. The checks were led by Ernakulam RTO Joji P Jose and were undertaken from around 4 am to 8:30 am. Permits of these buses were found to be forged and notices were issued immediately to the owner.
A total of 74 buses were inspected during the four-hour operation conducted by the department. Many buses were found with cargo holds stuffed with parcels, indicating a thriving parcel-service racket as well. The RTO has stated strict action would be taken against all buses caught flouting the law. A compound fee of Rs 35,000 has been collected by the department.
The inspections were conducted in the morning since the journeys commence at that time, and the utmost care was taken not to cause inconvenience to passengers.