Now, DD mafia at RTA offices!

Hyderabad: The next time you go to any of the 11 RTA offices in Ranga Reddy and Hyderabad, be ready to cough up extra Rs 150 and upwards to agents for obtaining DDs of particular value. For, notwithstanding the tall talk of providing ‘online’ and ‘transparent’ services, there are still some areas in RTAs where reliance on touts is induced indirectly.

For instance, consider the modus operandi with regard to DDs. The situation today is such that officials direct people to particular agents who hover around the office. Not coincidentally, the agents happen to readily have DDs with different values. Once a prospective motorist approaches them, they jack up the price to maximize the extra that they get, depending on the stature of the person and how much of a hurry he or she is in.

So, helpless motorists end up paying much more money as they would otherwise have to miss out on their ‘time slot’ if delayed. Using the time slot as a ruse, agents and officials are fleecing customers. The RTA offices collect payments in the form of demand draft for vehicles which are seized, second vehicle tax, entry tax for other state vehicles and for violations of Motor Vehicle Act Rules 1988 like without fitness certificate, driving licence, pollution under control certificate, insurance, permits etc.

The motor vehicle inspector (MVI) gives a check report based on the violations and decides on the penalty to be imposed on such vehicle. The vehicle owner needs to take release orders from the MVI and should get a demand draft in favour of “Secretary RTA (RTA area office)” towards payment of the compounding penalty.

Sources said that corruption was rampant particularly in the RTA offices where there were heavy transactions every day, say at Khairatabad, Uppal, Medchal and Ibrahimpatnam. Sources pointed out that there were at least two to three persons with DDs near the RTA offices, each of them earning Rs 15,000 every day.

Some motorists also alleged that officials were not accepting DDs on banks other than the ones in which the brokers have accounts. Telangana Auto and Motor Welfare Union general secretary M Dayanand said that the officials had no business to deny other bank DDs.

He said that the government should use the POS machine and allow motorists to swipe their cards to make payments. “Why was the extension counter of SBH removed when it was functioning very well? The authorities should take steps to have swiping machines as the revenue would come to government and people would not be made to pay more,” he added.

The individuals who hold many DDs for sale tend to charge as their ‘commission’ far more than the actual amount to be paid. Motorists alleged that the brokers often collected Rs 150 for a DD worth Rs 100. Vaishnavi, employed in a private company, had to shell out Rs 300 more than the actual fee just because the officials insisted on her getting DD from the person at the RTA office.

Vaishnavi said that she had visited Uppal RTA office for registration and while paying the tax for the second vehicle, she had to pay Rs 2,900 for a DD of Rs 2,600 as the officials refused to accept DDs of other banks. Sources said that some officials were hand in glove with the brokers for their own commission on the DDs.

Official sources said that earlier there was an extension counter of the State Bank of Hyderabad on the premises of Khairatabad RTA, which was initiated by the then JTC C L N Gandhi. However, after him, the extension counter was removed since 2004 for no reason. Auto Union leaders alleged that some of the present officials encouraged the brokers.

By K Chandrashekar