[IAC#RG] COMPLAINT : Rampant corruption in Transport Department of GNCTD

To:

Ms. Varsha Joshi, IAS (AGMUT:1995)

Commissioner of Transport/GNCTD

cc:
1) Chief Minister of Delhi

2) Chief Secretary of Delhi

BY EMAIL

Dear Commissioner

Sub : COMPLAINT : Rampant corruption in Transport Department of GNCTD

I refer to the news report in DNA newspaper, New Delhi edition dated 6 July 2017, or thereabouts,  titled as "80-member team to rein in drivers not halting at bus stops" by Vatsala Shrangi, which was re-tweeted by you on Twitter.com on 6 July 2016 from your account ID "suraiya95" with the comment "We're on it. Let us know if there are specific offenders!"

The said article you re-tweeted is presently accessible at URL http://www.dnaindia.com/delhi/report-80-member-team-to-rein-in-drivers-not-halting-at-bus-stops-2493462 or at http://archive.is/vLeJf etc. (and its text is appended at the end of this email)

I presume the article is correct on material facts because it was retweeted with approval by you on Twitter and no official rejoinder to it appears to have issued by GNCTD against it. It is pertinent that I responded to your request and sent details of some problematic bus stops in South Delhi to you and I also commented thereafter to you about your department's related draft parking policy and its corrupt nature, which you objected to by blocking me from communicating with you on Twitter. You also repeatedly impugned my sanity on a public forum like Twitter for complaining about your department's policies, irregular processes followed by your officers and you adopted innovative evasive methods to obstruct/prevent me from meaningfully responding to your department's public notice issued by Shri K.K.Dahiya (Special Commissioner (Transport)/GNCTD).

Accordingly, on the basis of the said as yet unrefuted news report in DNA newspaper, I am calling upon you to dutifully inquire against and/or prosecute Shri K.K.Dahiya (Special Commissioner (Transport)/GNCTD) as well as each and every member of his 80-member enforcement team from your Transport Department for criminal misconduct and corrupt abuse of their position as public servants to cause wrongful loss to the State exchequer amounting to crores of rupees and corresponding wrongful gain to traffic offenders and to save the traffic offenders from mandatory prosecution by the court as prescribed in law. Incidentally I had personally been earlier agitating this matter of buses not stopping at the kerb near bus stops to your department /GNCTD, the copies of which I had shared with you online via Twitter.com.

A proper and independent inquiry will bring out all the Prevention of Corruption Act and/or Indian Penal Code offences involved considering that your department officers apparently challaned/booked offenders u/s 122/177 Motor Vehicles Act and/or corruptly let them off with trivial compounding fines of Rs.100 or so, when the offence is classified as punishable under "66/192 MV Act" with upto Rs. 5,000 fine for first offence and is non-compoundable with the offenders to be sent directly to the court for punishment.

Because it is inconceivable that your expert enforcement officers are unaware of the legal provisions for this specific regulatory/permit offence of "Bus not stopping within one meter of the kerb of the authorized bus stop" (see offence #61 at https://delhitrafficpolice.nic.in/public-interface/traffic-offence/ archived at http://archive.is/hisna), I am concerned that during their 2 week long drive, your department's junior officers have all evidently received substantial illegal gratifications for letting thousands upon thousands of errant bus drivers escape the stiff legal penalties u/s 66.1/192-A MV Act required to be imposed by the courts only, including for permit violations which seriously endanger the lives of pedestrians.

NB: I can cite several other similar instances where Mr. K.K. Dahiya and his law / enforcement officers have evidently been acting for vested commercial interests in the transport / transportation sector in Delhi/NCR in defiance of law.

A copy of this communcation is also being sent to Hon'ble Chief Minister of Delhi and Hon'ble Chief Secretary of Delhi for their information in case you fail to promptly do your duty to eradicate corrupt elements from the Transport department of GNCTD.

I would be obliged if you acknowledge this communication within 3 working days and give me a timeline to action / resolution. In case you are not inclined to prosecute this complain, kindly instantly provide me the particulars of all the 80 or so members of the enforcement team/s.

sincerely

Sarbajit Roy

National Convenor

INDIA AGAINST CORRUPTION

B-59 Defence Colony

New Delhi 110024

Tel: +91-8010205897

----

TRUE TEXT COPY of above referred news report

80-member team to rein in drivers not halting at bus stops


​Commuters complain that bus drivers stop in the middle of the road (File Photo)

Vatsala Shrangi | Thu, 6 Jul 2017-08:05am , DNA

Fortnight-long drive to start today; errant drivers will be booked, challaned, and may end up losing their licences

The drivers of low-floor Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster buses will now be booked for not halting at designated stops. Numerous commuters had complained that instead of the bus shelters, these drivers halted in the middle of the road or a few metres away, making them run to catch the bus. Prompted by these complaints, the Delhi government's Transport Department is all set to start a drive against them on Thursday.

The department has formed an 80-member team of enforcement officials to crack down on bus drivers in the fortnight-long drive. The officials in plain clothes will be deployed at major bus stops, including AIIMS, Safdarjung, Dhaula Kuan, INA, Peeragarhi, ITO, Mukarba Chowk, Lakshmi Nagar, and Akshardham.

The national Capital has over 5,000 bus queue shelters, of which around 2,000 will have the presence of these enforcement officials.

"In the first two days, the errant drivers will only be given a warning. If they continue to indulge in the practice, they will be challaned. In case of repeated challans, a driver may lose his commercial license," Special Commissioner (Transport) K K Dahiya said.

The challans will be issued under Sections 122/177 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

Not halting the bus at the designated spot leads to chaos and congestion on roads and holding up of traffic, besides posing a challenge to the elderly, women, and specially-abled people, Dahiya said.

The department has also shot letters to the DTC and the Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System (DIMTS), which runs cluster buses, to rein in the drivers violating the norms. Many complaints regarding speeding, rash-driving, and not stopping at zebra crossings have also reached the authorities.

At present, the DTC has a fleet of 5,600 buses, of which only 4,200 are plying. The rest are defunct. According to a recent survey, Delhi needs at least 11,000 buses on a daily basis.

In 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had promised to add 10,000 buses to the DTC fleet and 736 to the cluster fleet. While no new DTC buses were procured, only 215 cluster buses were finally added.

NO NEW DTC BUSES

• The national Capital has over 5,000 bus queue shelters, of which a

• round 2,000 will have the presence of these enforcement officials.

• In 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had promised to add 10,000 buses to the DTC fleet and 736 to the cluster fleet. While no new DTC buses were procured, only 215 cluster buses were finally added.

• Not halting the bus at the designated spot leads to chaos and congestion on roads and holding up of traffic, besides posing a challenge to the elderly people, said special commissioner