Transport Officials Quit Amid Widespread ACB Raids

NIZAMABAD: Widespread raids by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on transport department officials have created a sensation across Telangana, with several officers resigning from government service amid allegations of large-scale corruption. A section of officials is facing serious charges after the ACB detected assets allegedly running into crores of rupees.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has directed ACB officials to crack down on corruption and take stringent action against erring officers to relieve people of the burden of graft. For the first time, the ACB has focused intensively on district transport officers, motor vehicle inspectors and other officials across the State.

Officials said the sharp rise in vehicle registrations, including heavy vehicles, cars and two-wheelers, had fuelled corruption in the department. Apart from officials, some women employees were also allegedly involved in forcibly collecting money from vehicle owners to expedite registration processes. It is alleged that crores of rupees were being collected every month from vehicle owners and drivers, including those operating across the Telangana-Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh borders.

Retired additional transport commissioner C.L.N. Gandhi said that, like in other departments, some officials in the transport department were involved in corrupt practices. He said the ACB should act firmly based on solid evidence and ensure that no guilty official escapes action.

Meanwhile, deputy transport commissioner Papa Rao and district transport officers Chakravarthi Goud and K. Srinivas Reddy have resigned from their posts. Deputy transport commissioner Puppala Srinivas was earlier arrested by the ACB in a disproportionate assets case and sent to Khammam jail before his retirement. He was later retired from service after being released from prison.

In a recent case, the ACB conducted raids on the premises of Mahbubnagar transport officer Kishan Naik in Mahabubnagar, Nizamabad and Hyderabad. While officials initially detected assets worth around Rs 20 crore, their market value was estimated to exceed Rs 100 crore, according to sources.

It was also noted that deputy transport commissioner Chandrasekhar Goud of Rudrur in Nizamabad district had earlier resigned to contest the MLC elections and was later reinstated by the previous BRS government after his defeat. In this backdrop, the Chief Minister directed the ACB to intensify action to curb corruption in the department.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Kamareddy District Transport Officer K. Srinivas Reddy said strict action should be taken against corrupt officials, but targeting family members of RTA officials was not advisable. He clarified that he had resigned from the DTO post on October 31 citing family reasons.