SDM, CLERK indicted in Amritsar inquiry for recycling ‘VIP’ numbers against rules
Amritsar, July 12
An inquiry conducted by the district administration has uncovered a racket of allotting “VIP” or two digit registration numbers of old or discarded vehicles to new ones in violation of rules.
The probe carried out by Deputy Commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu has found former Baba Bakala SDM T.N. Passi and his office clerk Randhir Singh guilty of illegally allotting at least 25 such registration numbers.
The inquiry” report has noted that had the numbers been allotted through open auction, there could have been revenue collection worth lakhs.
In the report sent to the Chief Secretary recently, Pannu has recommended disciplinary action against Passi, while Randhir Singh has already been chargesheeted.
Pannu found that all 25 numbers in question were allotted illegally on extraneous considerations and no fee challans for the allotments were deposited in the designated bank. Pages related to the numbers were also found missing from the official registers.
During the investigation, statement of the accused SDM was also recorded, in which he ‘denied his role in allotting any such number. He put the onus on clerk Randhir Singh, who, he said, was responsible for depositing the fee challans in the bank.
The inquiry report has also noted that eight of the 25 per sons who received the numbers have formally admitted to having obtained those by “approaching the SDM, Passi”,
As per Punjab government guidelines circulated by the State Transport Commissioner to all District Transport Officers, “No registration number from the old series under the Motor Vehicle Act, 1939, can be allotted to any vehicle. Rules do not permit to assign such old registration numbers under the new system”.
