RTO officer bends rule in a bid to favour TaxiForSure

A senior officer in the Regional Transport Office (RTO), Bengaluru Central, blatantly flouted the norms in an attempt to help TaxiForSure get licence under the new rules, it has emerged.

The Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016, mandate that cab aggregators get a licence to operate. Bowing to pressure from the Transport Department, aggregators such as Ola and its sister company TaxiForSure submitted separate applications.

Acting on the applications, the State Transport Authority (STA), the licence-issuing body in the department, wrote to the Bengaluru Central RTO, seeking a physical verification report on the information provided by the two aggregators in their licence applications.

The new rules state that an aggregator must have a fleet of at least 100 cabs fitted with panic buttons (for use of passengers in case of emergency) and a standard Global Positioning System (GPS), and set up a control room to track the vehicles.

Ola showed a fleet of 100 vehicles. K T Halaswamy, a senior RTO officer, however, submitted a report certifying that the two aggregators — Ola and TaxiForSure — have 100 cabs each and comply with the new rules. Instead of considering separate licence applications for Ola and TaxiForSure, Halaswamy clubbed the two in one set of applications and processed it as for two operators, strengthening TaxiForSure’s case to get licence.

Based on his report, the STA will take a call on granting the application. The question being raised is why did the senior RTO officer favour the aggregator by blatantly flouting the rules? Higher officials in the department are learnt to have censured him.

When contacted, Halaswamy passed the buck to the case worker concerned. “It was a mistake done by the case worker. The case worker attached Ola’s documents with those of TaxiForSure without taking due diligence,” he said. When asked why he signed on the duplicate set of records, Halaswamy had no answer except that “it was mistake”.

Transport Commissioner Ramegowda said each aggregator must show a separate fleet of 100 vehicles to get the licence.

He said an explanation would be sought from the official if it emerged that he flouted the rules to favour the aggregator.

He also clarified that the licence would not be given to TaxiForSure if the documents were not genuine.
DH News Service