Greasing officials palms continues unabated at integrated check post

Nellore: Corruption has become rampant at the integrated check post (ICP) at BV Palem under Tada mandal even though the Commercial Taxes department had introduced a facility to download transit passes online from April 1 which have to be submitted for verification. With several truck operators ignorant about the facility, it has become a boon for unscrupulous staff members at the check post.

The Commercial Taxes department has recently decided to provide transit passes from its website similar to the waybills. The new facility came in to effect from April 1 since the earlier system proved to be inefficient and promoted corruption. With several truck operators ignorant about the facility, it has become a boon for unscrupulous staff members at the check post collecting unofficial fee for giving passes downloaded from the website

The Commercial Taxes department has recently decided to provide transit passes from the website similar to the waybills. The new facility came in to effect from April 1 since the earlier system was erratic and there was scope for huge corruption. In fact, transporters have to collect the transit passes from other State at the check posts and the staff members used to collect huge amounts from the trucks.

But, the department thought the new system of allowing download of transit passes from the website like waybills would bring down corruption to some extent and made the provision on the website from this month beginning. But the truck operators are still lax and they are collecting the passes at the check posts and are paying huge amounts of bribe along with downloading charges too.

Commissioner of the Commercial Taxes department warned that they would impose a penalty of Rs 1,500 if the operators fail to bring the passes from April 1. But the staff members at the check post are collecting unofficial fee from them, downloading passes from the site and giving truck operators with a warning.

Interestingly, huge flex boards are also arranged for attention of the transport operators and others to bring the transporter declaration form and the transit passes from the website to be submitted at the check post along with other documents. Even if they have downloaded the transit passes there are no break for giving bribes to the unofficial persons engaged by the staff members.