Mumbai: In a major crackdown on alleged irregularities in the commercial vehicle fitness certification process, transport commissioner Rajesh Narvekar on Thursday issued show-cause notices to 334 Regional Transport Office (RTO) officials across the state, including a senior transport department officer from Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Those served notices have been asked to explain why disciplinary action should not be initiated against them.The action follows a high-level inquiry into what is being viewed as a multi-crore vehicle fitness certificate racket. The probe, conducted by a committee headed by a joint transport commissioner, examined violations in the issuance of fitness certificates for commercial vehicles and submitted its findings to Narvekar.TOI was the first to report on the wide-ranging investigation covering at least nine RTOs, including Andheri, Wadala, Thane and Vashi.Speaking to TOI, Narvekar described the findings as “serious procedural lapses”, but said officials would be given an opportunity to present their side. “If an official can explain that he or she was not responsible for the lapse, they can be declared innocent. However, if involvement is established, a final report will be prepared and submitted to the govt,” he said.Recently, transport minister Pratap Sarnaik had also informed the media that if the final report showed lapses on the part of any official, stringent action would be taken. “There will be no compromise on public safety,” Sarnaik had said.The inquiry reportedly uncovered multiple violations of Rule 62(1) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, which governs fitness certification for transport vehicles. In several cases, fitness certificates were issued beyond the mandatory 15-day period prescribed after the issuance of Form 38A. Investigators suspect that such delays may have opened the door for manipulation and corruption.One of the most striking instances involved a commercial vehicle registered for fitness inspection in Pune, but certified in Panvel without valid justification. Officials also found cases where certificates that should have been issued by the original registering authority in Maharashtra were instead granted by transport offices in other states, raising questions over their legality.The probe further revealed that some nationally permitted vehicles were certified despite lacking mandatory Vehicle Location Tracking Devices, while others, including buses, were cleared without required speed-governing devices, potentially compromising passenger safety.For thousands of commuters who depend on buses, trucks and other commercial vehicles every day, the case has raised troubling questions about whether vehicles on the road were being certified as fit without meeting mandatory safety norms. The replies from the 334 officials are now expected to determine the next course of action in one of the state’s biggest transport department investigations in recent years.
