RS Praveen Kumar alleges corruption by RTA officials in Asifabad

BRS leader Dr RS Praveen Kumar has alleged that officials of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA)–Asifabad unit are colluding with transport association leaders to extort bribes from the public. Addressing a press conference in Kagaznagar, he claimed officials were collecting around Rs 15 lakh monthly by fixing rates for services such as vehicle registration, driving licences, and permits, while evading Anti-Corruption Bureau action.

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: BRS leader Dr RS Praveen Kumar on Saturday alleged that officials of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA)-Asifabad unit were fleecing the public by colluding with leaders belonging to the owners of transport vehicles association.

Addressing a press conference in Kagaznagar, he said he had lodged a complaint with higher officials against the corrupt officials of the RTA. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was not rendering people-centric administration, but was harassing the public, he said, adding that RTA officials were indulging in bribery by fixing rates for every job by joining hands with the leaders of the association.

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Praveen Kumar charged that the officials were collecting around Rs 15 lakh by way of bribes citing norms of the Motor Vehicle Act every month. They were smartly evading arrests by sleuths of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), he said, alleging that they were accepting bribes from the public for issuing certificates of registration of vehicles, driving licences, permits and many other services.

He regretted that people were forced to mortgage their assets to bribe the officials. Certain officials were also clinging to their posts for quite a long time.

Demanding a probe into widespread corruption among RTA officials and stern action against erring officials, he said the scale of bribes could comparatively be huge in cities and towns. Officials were indulging in corruption after losing their income following closure of inter-state check posts on the borders of Telangana, he said, also alleging that local MLA Dr P Harish Babu was facing allegations of collecting 9 percent of commission from contractors building Indiramma houses. He ridiculed that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was claiming to eradicate corruption while BJP legislators are habituated to taking bribes.