Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Operation Clean-up at RTO to be intensified

V.S. Palaniappan

Compound for Regional Transport Office being built

CURBS: Bona fides of visitors being examined at the entrance of the Regional Transport Office in the city. — Photo: S. Siva Saravanan

COIMBATORE: The ongoing "Operation Clean-up" to keep brokers, touts and middlemen at bay at the Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Coimbatore will be intensified with the ongoing work for construction of compound at a cost of Rs 5.1 lakhs replacing the barbed-wire fence on the three sides of the office.

Till now, the Regional Transport Office had compound wall only on the front side on Dr. Balasundaram Road. With walls coming up on the other three sides, the bhoomi pooja for which was performed last week, the efforts to keep brokers at bay will be intensified, the Deputy Transport Commissioner, K. Yogarajan, pointed out.

The Transport Department launched "Operation Clean-up" at the Regional Transport Offices under Coimbatore circle by restricting the entry to only genuine visitors, who have some business to transact. The operation was launched in June, 2004.

The RTOs S.S. Velumani (South) and D. Mani (North) personally supervise the Operation during the peak hours from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The help centre kiosk at the entrance has RTO staff issuing forms free of cost and guiding the applicants on the procedures and formalities. In addition, there is a Public Relations Officer in the rank of a Superintendent to assist the applicants.

Chart on fee structure

There is also a chart, which educate the applicants on the fee prescribed for various transactions and another one that helped the applicant in identifying the jurisdictions of the Regional Transport Offices.

The drive was launched following complaints that brokers harassed the visitors and even used to intercept and forcibly snatch the forms from them by telling them that the transactions could be carried out only through them, say visitors. The brokers used to fleece the applicants by saying that they had to "pay a cut" to the staff. There had been instances of brokers being caught with bulk applications.

With the Operation having earned the accolades of the visitors, public and consumer organisations, the Transport Department pointed out that the affected brokers had started shooting off anonymous letters to the higher-ups levelling charges in a bid to get the public-friendly system derailed and scrapped once and for all.

Even in the face of mounting opposition and sabotage attempts, the Department staff say that no stone will be left unturned to continue the system. If at all the public had any grievances, they could the meet RTOs or the appellate authority, the DTC, they added.

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