GUWAHATI, Feb 27 � Almost 20 per cent of the commercial vehicles plying in and around Guwahati are operating with fake or doubtful registration papers, besides fake driving licences.
Of these, most have been apparently issued by the Nalbari District Transport Office, besides the Kamrup DTO.
This assessment was arrived at a few days after the arrest of senior officials including the acting Nalbari DTO on charges of alleged irregularities.
Following this disturbing development, the State transport department has decided to act tough on those involved in such activities across the State, especially in Guwahati city, with the help of the police department.
�We are now planning to tighten the noose on those flouting the norms and have even instructed the wing concerned to act on it,� sources in the transport department said.
Sources in the police department (traffic) stated that it had seized over 200 driving licences issued by the Nalbari DTO for further verification much before the alleged irregularities were unearthed and it doubted the authenticity of the same.
�Now that the Nalbari Police is probing the case, we have referred all the pertinent documents to the Nalbari Superintendent of Police to facilitate investigation,� a senior police official told The Assam Tribune.
�A rough assessment of the commercial vehicles running in Guwahati would show that at least 20 per cent of the commercial vehicles, if not more, are being run by doubtful drivers. Issuance of licence to under-aged and incompetent drivers is a common observation,� an official of the transport department told this correspondent here.
He went on to state that even drivers of heavy vehicles including goods carriers are found flouting the norms, leave apart the trekker
drivers.
