Nagpur: Right to Information (RTI) Act might have empowered citizens to put Government functioning under scrutiny but at times, the bureaucracy does take painstaking efforts to sow confusion in minds, especially when pointed queries are put-up.
Take the latest example of Regional Transport Office, Nagpur Urban, which, while sharing information on one point stated that they have no data available but to another, relevant point details were promptly shared in detail.
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15 May 2025
The Nagpur-based RTI activist Abhay Kolarkar sought information on various counts from the RTO as to how many buses were inspected by the Urban Office during the period from January 1, 2020, till May 31, 2023, to which he was told that they are unable to comprehend the query. However, the RTO was prompt as to the issuance of fitness certificates. During the said time period, about 1577 buses were inspected and certified fit.
The RTI reveals that 18 buses (contract carriage permit) were registered in the period from January 2020 to May 2023. However, the RTI mentions that it has no information on the inspections conducted on these registered buses. This itself raises a question on the functioning of the RTO as it might indicate that new registered vehicles start their operations without any inspection checks.
In a shocking revelation, RTO stated that they have imposed a fine on 1357 buses permitted to contract carriage for violation of rules in a period of 41 months for the period January2020 to May 2023. However, the RTO said it is not in position to ascertain the total amount of fine collected from these buses for the violations, which seems quite strange. Details were also sought for the presence of an emergency exit system, fire system, reflectors and buses that lacked indicators.
The RTO stated that an independent data could not be furnished on above parameters, which again shows callous approach on part of regulatory authorities. This particular point is of major concern as the recent mishap on Samruddhi Mahamarg revealed that the exit gate was blocked when the bus overturned and travellers got trapped in the process. The number of private bus operators are known to have installed additional seats or other measures that block the escape route that as per rules, must be free from any hindrances.
Many a time, it was found that the exit gate was malfunctioning and in emergency, as in the case of the ill fated bus on Samruddhi Mahamarg, the travellers could not leave the burning bus. Therefore, the role of RTO is of utmost importance and strict implementation of rules is quite necessary to prevent recurrence of horrifying road mishaps that often cause agony to society, feels Kolarkar.
