Bengaluru transport official booked for issuing 10,000 unverified fitness certificates to out-of-state vehicles

Bengaluru: A senior transport inspector was booked Saturday for allegedly issuing fitness certificates (FCs) to 10,210 vehicles from other states, including Gujarat, without conducting physical inspections.The accused, Nisar Ahmed of the Bangalore Central RTO, was suspended last month after authorities in Gujarat's transport department raised an alert. Ahmed retired from service on Jan 31 while under suspension, though no legal proceedings had been initiated against him at the time.
The irregularities came to light after the Gujarat transport department notified Karnataka authorities and shared toll plaza data indicating that the vehicles had crossed toll booths within Gujarat on the same days their FCs were reportedly being processed in Bengaluru. On Feb 12, S Nataraj Sharma, lawyer and president of the Federation of Private Transport Associations, submitted a written complaint to transport minister Ramalinga Reddy and transport commissioner Yogesh AM, seeking a high-level inquiry against four officials, including Ahmed.In his complaint, Sharma urged authorities to examine CCTV footage, inspection registers, Vahan portal entries, and test records. "Suspend the officers concerned pending inquiry if prima facie material is found. Take stringent disciplinary and legal action to prevent recurrence of such irregularities," he stated.Taking cognisance of the complaint, the transport commissioner, on Feb 13, directed the joint commissioner of transport to conduct a probe. After the report was submitted, an FIR was registered against Ahmed under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).In the wake of the scam, the transport department issued fresh guidelines last month mandating that all vehicles be inspected strictly at designated locations. Under the revised protocol, vehicle inspectors must capture photographs clearly showing the licence plate along with the date, time and location. These images must be submitted to department authorities and uploaded to the Vahan portal.Mandatory 20% physical inspectionTo enhance accountability, regional transport officers (RTOs) or office heads are now required to physically inspect at least 20% of all vehicles presented for fitness certification. Special emphasis will be placed on verifying vehicles registered in other states before fitness certificates are issued."We have already begun deploying mobile phone-based geo-fencing technology to prevent misuse of the system. We are doing our best to ensure such incidents are not repeated," Commissioner Yogesh told TOI.Complainant S Nataraj Sharma said: "I appreciate the department's initiative, especially the minister's push to use technology to curb corruption and facilitate contactless online services between the public and officials. All officials involved in this act should be suspended."