Chennai: Directing the state government to set up CCTV cameras in regional transport offices in the state the Madras high court has ordered the state transport department to obtain the property details of the regional transport officers and all other higher officials of the transport department.
When petition filed by Thennindhiya Otturnar Payirchi Palli Urimaiyalargal Koottamaippu came up for hearing before Justice S.M. Subramaniam, the judge directed authorities to install the CCTV cameras in all RTO offices of the state within three months further.
In the petition, the Koottamaippu sought to forebear the transport department from implementing the electronic driving test in “H” track for the light motor vehicles and two-wheelers and consequently direct the authorities to follow the physical driving test as per the provisions of Rule 31 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.
The judge said people of this great nation are frustrated on account of freelance corrupt activities prevailing, more specifically, in regional transport offices, who all are the authorities for registration of vehicles and to grant driving licenses and other related public services. No one can deny the growing practice of the administrators of the driving schools being hand-in-glove with the transport department authorities and the corrupt activities are growing day-by-day.
These driving school managements are colluding with public officials and corruption has become a routine day-to-day affair in the regional transport offices. When the state is initiating certain steps to minimise the corruption, these officials and the management of the driving schools are inventing new methods of corruption and they are finding many ways to escape from the traps and from the vigil of the vigilance and anti-corruption department.
Directing the authorities to install the CCTV cameras in three months, Justice S.M. Subramaniam said in the event of non-functioning of the “CCTV cameras for a continuous period of one week, then the officials concerned in the office, must be held responsible, and the secretary, transport department and the commissioner of transport Department are directed to initiate appropriate disciplinary proceedings against such officials under the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Civil Service(Discipline and Appeal)Rules, for negligence and dereliction of duty.” Refusing to grant any relief sought by the petitioner the judge said that the claim of the writ petitioners' rejected at the outset.
