Rourkela: Rampant irregularities have become a regular affair at the driving test centre in Balughat here with some officials of the regional transport office (RTO) playing into the hands of two middlemen, alleged some driving license applicants.
The brokers have put two cars on rent at the test centre and the applicants who use their vehicles get eventually qualified while others are disqualified, it was learnt.
On the other hand, the duo demands Rs 300 each from the applicants for a test of five minutes duration and the collected amount is shared with the transport department officials, it is alleged.
“Using our own vehicles or that of our friends doesn’t work,” said some applicants who brought their own vehicles to take the test drive.
“I had brought a friend’s car, but got disqualified. Later, some officials indicated me to hire a car given on rent by two persons at the test centre for another round of test,” said another applicant.
As per the rule, the applicant should be alone inside the vehicle during the test. However, the officials here allow a driver picked by them to guide the applicants if they use any of the rented cars.
On being guided by expert drivers, some novice hands, having no driving experience and poor knowledge about traffic signals, also get through the test and go on to pose threat to lives of people when they actually drive on the roads, some locals said.
When contacted, motor vehicle inspector (MVI) Prasanna Kumar Das admitted that he has asked two persons to put their cars on rent at the driving centre, but claimed that they don’t charge anything from applicants.
On the issue of drivers being allowed inside the car along with the applicants during the test, the MVI said the applicants often hit the walls of the track and damage the cars. As it is not possible to bear the repair cost of these cars, drivers are allowed inside to prevent accidents, Das clarified.
Henceforth, only applicants having their own vehicles would be allowed for test drive at the centre, the MVI said. PNN