Sailana (Madhya Pradesh): Dhamnod, a municipal council in Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh, caught on the wrong foot as the council's garbage vehicle (MP-43-L-2634), found itself embroiled in a puzzling situation when a challan was mistakenly issued for it in Karauli, Rajasthan, a location approximately 500 kilometres away.
The matter came to light when the district transport officer (DTO) of Karauli, Rajasthan, issued a challan for the council's 2018 model Magic vehicle on December 6, 2023, at 6:23 pm, demanding a payment of Rs 18,350.
The peculiar aspect of this incident is that the garbage vehicle in question had never left the district, as evidenced by the GPS installed in the vehicle. This indicates that the vehicle was present at the council's office premises at the time the challan was issued.
When contacted, Dhamnod Chief Municipal Officer Jagdish Berve claimed that despite the concrete evidence, no corrective action has been takenáby the concerned authorities.
CMO Berve stated, "After receiving the challan copy, we forwarded a letter dated January 1, 2024, to the district transport officer, Karoli, Rajasthan, requesting the cancellation of an online challan bearing number RJ5167169231220062670.
"In the letter, we mentioned that the garbage vehicle is dedicated to collecting garbage within the city limits and is never taken outside the permissible limit. Additionally, the current condition of the vehicle does not allow it to travel to Karauli. Therefore, the municipal council requested that the necessary steps be taken to cancel the challan issued for our civic body's vehicle."
"However, failing to get any response from the other side, we forwarded another letter on January 23, 2024, requesting the cancellation of the false challan. However, there has been no response or action to rectify the situation,"Berve added.
When asked about the online challan bearing the vehicle carrying the same registration number visible in the picture, Berve replied that it might be possible that some other vehicle is plying on the road with a fake registration number. Furthermore, the vehicle has a GPS tracker, and it is not in a condition to travel such a long distance.
"Now it's a matter of investigation by the local police to trace who is using this fake registration number to mislead the authorities," Berve emphasised.
Meanwhile, the incident raises serious concerns about the accuracy and reliability of the challan issuing process and the lack of accountability in the transport department.
(With Inputs From Santosh Dhabai)
