Transfers of RTO inspectors, including Motor Vehicle Inspectors (MVI) and Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspectors (AMVI), in Maharashtra went 'online' on Wednesday. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde pressed a key to release a list of transferable officers from the department. He appealed to officials from the department to make the system completely transparent and free of any human intervention using the newly developed system.
In the first use of the newly developed system for transferring RTO officers, CM Shinde released the final list of 166 MVIs and 314 AMVIs. Of the 166 MVIs, 91 percent received postings as per their preferential ranking, while for AMVIs, the number is 97 percent.
Transfers of RTO officials have always been a topic of discussion due to rampant malpractices associated with securing coveted postings. Offices where a large number of non-transport vehicles are registered and those overseeing busy border check posts are considered prime postings among RTO officers. The use of influence and money to secure transfers to such RTOs used to be common and remained a topic of discussion. The issue has also been raised in successive assembly sessions with little change in the system.
However, in March of this year, when the issue arose as usual, CM Shinde directed officials to develop a system to make the process transparent and free from human intervention. A presentation of the newly developed system, based on blockchain technology, was made at the meeting today by Principal Secretary Pareag Jain. Senior officials like Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar, Additional Commissioner Jitendra Patil, and others were also present at the occasion.
The new system will also help fill all vacancies in all the offices of all the regions, the officers said. All the officers due for transfers were asked to submit three choices online. Out of the 166 MVIs, 100 were transferred to the places of their first choice, 35 received their second choice, and 15 were transferred to their third-choice locations. Sixteen were transferred randomly.
The use of blockchain technology leaves no room for manipulation, officials said.
Chief Minister Shinde also expressed concern over the increasing number of accidents on the Samruddhi Corridor and directed officials to implement stringent measures to reduce the number of accidents. He also instructed officers to take steps to eliminate traffic blockades in Thane city.
