Mumbai, July 7 (IANS). Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced in the Assembly on Tuesday that a high-level inquiry will be conducted into alleged irregularities, tax evasion and other irregularities in the state’s regional transport offices (RTOs).
Responding to a question raised by MLA Vijay Wadettiwar, Fadnavis said the matter has been discussed with the Transport Minister and the issues raised by the House members have been taken seriously.
After the discussion, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik gave detailed information on this matter. He said that tax evasion has been observed in many cases related to registration of expensive luxury vehicles.
Some vehicle owners are registering their vehicles in areas like Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Puducherry despite living in Maharashtra and taking loans from state banks.
RTO has started action against such activities. To prevent tax evasion in future, a strict verification process including GST check, bank loan documents and residential proofs will be implemented.
Apart from this, Sarnaik announced that a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed under the chairmanship of senior IPS officer Priyanka Naranvare, which will independently investigate the complaints, video footage and other allegations against the RTO department.
The committee also includes Additional Transport Commissioner Ravi Gaikwad and Vigilance Officer Mandar Javale. The committee has been directed to submit its report within a month.
Meanwhile, Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike informed the Assembly that the Class I Deputy Director (Research), working in the Tribal Development Department at MTNL Building in Charai, Thane, has been suspended with immediate effect following a bribery case. The process of filing charge sheet for departmental inquiry with the approval of the Secretary is currently going on.
Uike was present while answering a question asked by MLA Raju Todasam during the Question Hour of the Assembly. MLA Dharmarao Atram also joined the discussion.
Giving detailed details of the incident, Uike said that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had received a complaint on February 13, 2026, alleging that the officer concerned had demanded bribe for clearing files related to Scheduled Tribe (ST) students.
–IANS
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