The Hindu : New Delhi News : Holograms to check fake bus passes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 21, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Holograms to check fake bus passes

By Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

NEW DELHI, DEC. 20. Following the detection of a racket in fake student bus passes, the Delhi Transport Corporation has decided to introduce holograms on all its passes from January 2005. The move assumes significance as the Corporation issues nearly 2 lakh students passes every year and is desperately in need of a solution to the scam, which threatens to further put it in the red.

The fake pass racket came to light this month during a routine check of tickets by the Rural Area checking staff of DTC on a bus plying on Route 539 between Nangloi and Mehrauli. During the checking of the bus, which was stopped near Dichaon Kalan Depot around 9-20 a.m., the checking squad came across a young man whose student's bus pass appeared suspect.

Initially the youth identified himself as Pawan, in whose name the pass had been issued, but later confessed that his real name was Naresh and that he was a resident of Kharkhari village and not a student of any college. But it was his further disclosure that left the squad stunned. The youth disclosed that he had purchased the pass, which was purportedly valid for five months from December 1, 2004 to April 30, 2005, for Rs 450. Naresh revealed that he had bought the pass from a photo shop, Kapil Studio, in Som Bazar, Najafgarh, where the passes were being prepared in large numbers.

Realising the gravity of the seizure, the DTC personnel immediately informed the top brass which insisted that they register a complaint with the police. Subsequently, the staff got an FIR (No. 778/2004) registered under Section 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code with the Najafgarh police and handed over the accused to them.

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