MADURAI: The Madurai bench of Madras High Court has ordered the DVAC to inquire into a complaint lodged by a former TNSTC employee alleging irregularities in operating buses in the Madurai and Dindigul regions.
Justice B Pugalendhi was hearing a petition filed by the ex-employee, S Murugesan, in 2023, seeking appropriate action against the managing director and branch manager concerned.
Murugesan alleged that some buses managed by the above divisions are not operated on certain routes, but records are created as if they were operated, and the diesel expenses and salary meant for these buses are misappropriated, causing a huge loss to the transport corporation.
He alleged that three different types of tickets were issued to passengers in a specific bus plying on the Dindigul-Tiruchy route, to create false records as if three buses were operated on the route. Though he gave a complaint and the transport corporation admitted the above facts, it closed the issue by taking action against only the branch manager and a junior assistant, that too, by imposing a minor punishment of stoppage of increment for a year, he added, and requested the court to direct DVAC to act on his complaint. Justice Pugalendhi noted that the vigilance authorities had merely forwarded Murugesan’s complaint to the additional chief secretary of the transport department without conducting any inquiry.
“It is regrettable to note that the vigilance department, which is expected to monitor 14 lakh government employees, is functioning only for name’s sake with 100 employees. They are filing 100 cases per year to show that they are functioning. Almost all the complaints received by the department are forwarded to the respective Heads of Departments, and they are taking no action on such complaints or taking some action for name’s sake and closing the issue,” the judge observed.
Though the counsel argued that the petitioner was not an aggrieved person and had lodged a complaint out of personal vengeance, the judge opined that the vigilance authorities ought to inquire whether higher officials, including the managing director, were involved. He therefore disposed of the petition by directing the DVAC to inquire into Murugesan’s complaint and file a status report on the action on September 3.