HYDERABAD: The Transport department on Monday suspended a constable and two senior officials of the Bandlaguda Regional Transport Office (RTO) following allegations of unauthorised cash collections and ordered a detailed inquiry.
RTO constable Arun was suspended after a video circulating on social media allegedly showed him counting `500 notes in the licence issuance section. The video was reportedly recorded secretly by a motorist visiting the office.
Motor Vehicle Inspector Bhim Singh and RTO Ram Chander were also suspended over allegations that they allowed agents to operate at the office and failed to exercise proper supervision. They were relieved of their responsibilities and attached to the Transport Department headquarters with immediate effect.
The action followed allegations of unauthorised collections at the office. Officials are examining the circumstances in which the cash was found and trying to establish its source and ownership.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted searches at the RTO on Monday and found irregularities. The searches began in the afternoon and were continuing.
Authorities are also looking into allegations that motorists were being made to make repeated visits for routine services and that work was being expedited through intermediaries.
The Transport Department warned that allowing agents to operate inside RTO offices would invite stringent action and said the concerned RTO would be held responsible for such violations.
2 CIVIC EMPLOYEES HELD FOR ACCEPTING Rs 15,000 BRIBE
Nizamabad: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday caught two employees of the Nizamabad Municipal Corporation red-handed while allegedly accepting a `15,000 bribe. According to the ACB, Palda Ashok, a junior assistant in the Establishment Section, and Kalakuntla Kiran Kumar, an outsourcing employee in the Audit Section, allegedly demanded and accepted the bribe from a complainant for preparing increment proceedings and making entries in the complainant’s mother’s service book to facilitate sanction of her monthly pension.