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| Gullible licence seekers satiating Swaran Singh's hunger for bribery | | ARTO's Dictum: Everything comes with a price | | Ajay Sharma
RAMBAN, Mar 18: A rule of anarchy is allegedly at galore in Ramban where a Government employee posted as Assistant Road Transport Officer is executing duties at his own whims while exercising corrupt and fraudulent means to satiate his need of bribery
The issue came to light when some of the people who reached the ARTO Swaran Singh with their genuine cases of getting their licences renewed or to get the district route permits for their vehicles, which the concerned officer put them to unusual harassment leading them to fall trap to the agents to get their work done.
"This is a commonplace phenomenon at ARTO office that he puts the genuine people to unnecessary harassment and hardships who have to find other means to get their work done," said Mohammad Fiaz , a businessman of Ramban who owns three vehicles and had approached Swaran Singh for the renewal of the district route permit to him.
However, the locals revealed to "Early Times' that the corrupt officer has made up a network of agents around who approach the customers and fleece them into the trap and get money shelled out of them against an assurance of doing their work.
"There is a set amount for different works as the agents charge Rs 20,000 for a Taxi Route Permit, Rs 3500 for a Driving Licence , Rs 1000, for Taxi token renew and Rs 500 for Driving Licence renew ," said one of the aggrieved who had to shell Rs 3500 for a driving licence .
Sahil Kumar, a local matador driver, a licence holder from Udhampur who had to get his licence renewed was put to run from pillar to post for the petty job, who ultimately had to succumb to Swaran Singh's machinations and go for a fresh licence from the agent by paying him Rs 3500.
The high handedness of corruption let loose by Swarn Singh did not ends here as even he held his subordinate clerk Mohd Salaria run for his money.
Talking to this correspondent, Salaria said that the ARTO did not release his monthly salary for 8 months and he had to approach the higher authorities to get it released.
"I am an honest person and do not fear anything. The ARTO did not release my salary and I had to approach the higher authorities for the same," said Salaria admitting that Swaran Singh has opened a den of corruption in his region.
When contacted, the Transport Minister Chaudhary Mohammad Ramzan assured full enquiry into his misdeeds and promised prompt action.
"I have earlier also received many complaints against the ARTO. I have alerted my Transport Commissioner to look into the matter and if the ARTO would be found guilty, action would be taken against him," said the Transport Minister. |
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