Two RTO officers suspended in fake driving license test scam
Mumbai, Mar 12 (PTI): Two officers from the Mumbai West Regional Transport Office (RTO) have been suspended in connection with a fake driving licence scam wherein questionable driving tests were conducted on invalid vehicles in 2023-24, an official said on Wednesday.
The suspended officials, Assistant RTO Raosaheb Ragde and Motor Vehicle Inspector Umesh Devre, were placed under suspension following a probe conducted by the Transport Commissioner’s office.
As per the suspension order dated March 10, the Maharashtra Accountant General (Audit), Nagpur, had flagged irregularities in the issuance of driving licenses at the Mumbai West RTO office, during the financial year 2023-24.
The audit report raised concerns about licenses issued based on fake driving tests, prompting an internal inquiry. Following the investigation led by the Andheri RTO, the inquiry committee confirmed procedural lapses in the issuance of driving licenses, officials said.
During their suspension period, Ragade will be stationed at the RTO Mumbai (East), while Devre will report to the RTO Mumbai (Central) as their headquarters.
The investigation revealed procedural lapses, with the RTO reportedly using a single vehicle for conducting driving tests for multiple applicants, irrespective of the class of licence.
The scam was exposed during a routine check of 1.04 lakh driving licences using the online ‘Sarathi’ database. The audit revealed that nearly 75 per cent of these licences—76,354 in total—were issued in 2023-24 following questionable driving tests conducted on invalid vehicles.
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Kasaragod: Government Medical College gets first MBBS student from Rajasthan
Kasaragod: The Government Medical College, which recently secured the National Medical Commission’s approval, admitted its first MBBS student on Monday, with Gurwinder Singh from Alwar in Rajasthan becoming the first of the 50 students in the inaugural batch of the College.
Singh received a warm welcome into the College with sweets by Principal-in-Charge Dr. KK Santosh Kumar and Medical Superintendent Dr Praveen. The admission procedure was formally completed with the recording of his attendance, reports On Manorama.
The College has seven seats reserved for candidates from the All-India rank list, and Singh qualified for a seat in the College under the All-India Medical Entrance quota.
Unlike the other government medical colleges in the state, where classes started this week after the admission of students during the first round of counseling, the Kasaragod Medical College had to wait for approval from the National Medical Commission. The College received the approval and began enrolling students after conclusion of counseling.
The classes will begin on September 30, after completion of Phase 2 of allotment. The first batch students are currently provided temporary hostel facilities at Cherkkala.
While the second student under the All-India rank list is expected to join the College today, the authorities have said they cannot guarantee how long the new students will remain, adding that some students may opt to move to other colleges if they are allotted seats there.
