Corruption and bribery in Udupi RTO revealed

Udupi, 22 Feb 2021 [Fik/News Sources]: Officers and touts have been found collecting bribes for vehicle registrations at the RTO office here.

Reports have emerged that bribe is being sought to approve registration for those having Aadhar card with an address from outside the State.

As per rules, an Aadhar card is mandatory for the registration of new vehicles. If the address in the Aadhar card is of another district or State, one has to submit a supplementary proof of address along with it such as Voter ID, driving license, bank passbook copy, etc.

In order to approve these as valid documents, money is being charged.

Many new vehicle registrants have complained that failing to give money for validating the documents, officers start delaying the approval.

Additionally, many have complained that some RTO officers say that the Aadhar card isn’t mandatory, whereas others claim it is.

In case one doesn’t have an Aadhar card, as per rules supplementary proof of address and citizenship has to be provided. There is also a provision of providing an affidavit in the absence of supporting documents.

It was revealed that officers at the RTO do not agree with the above and seek money in order to validate the supporting documents.

A senior RTO officer informed that there is no such rule that stating an Aadhar card is mandatory. If one has an Aadhar card, there is no need for other documents.

He also asserted that there is no such rule that says other documents can’t be provided as proof of address and citizenship.

However, it has become an unwritten rule for most RTO officials and touts.

It was also revealed that RTO officers charge about Rs 1,000 for people with Aadhar card belonging to other districts and the ones with an address from other States are charged double i.e. Rs 2,000.