The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) that came out during the last assembly session in Gairsain has raised serious questions on the functioning of the Transport Department of Uttarakhand. The facts revealed in the report not only tell the story of administrative negligence but also raise questions related to the lives of common passengers.
The most shocking aspect of the CAG report is that 67,603 vehicles are running rampant on the roads in the state without valid fitness certificates. These also include 561 ambulances and 34 school buses. That is, those vehicles on which the lives of children and patients depend. Fitness certificate is not just a paper, it is a guarantee that the vehicle is technically safe and fit to run on the road. When this certificate is not there, it is uncomfortable to even think about the condition of the vehicle, especially when the hilly roads of Uttarakhand are already challenging.
Default on every front from registration to revenue
The report also revealed that renewal of registration of 43,821 non-transport vehicles is still pending. Apart from this, there are 2,362 vehicles whose temporary registration could not become permanent even after more than six months. The department’s poor functioning also came to light on the revenue front. 361 construction equipment vehicles were put in ‘other’ category instead of being registered in the correct category, due to which the government had to suffer direct loss in registration fees. This is not a technical mistake, but a fundamental failure of the monitoring system.
After the expansion of Dhami cabinet, command is in the hands of Batra
Amidst all this development, in the recent Dhami Cabinet expansion, the responsibility of Transport Department has been handed over to Minister Pradeep Batra. As soon as he assumed the new responsibility, he was faced with the burden of this CAG report. Responding to this matter, Minister Batra said that action will be taken soon. Referring specifically to Char Dham Yatra, he assured that fitness check of all the vehicles will be done before the commencement of the Yatra.
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Examination before Char Dham Yatra
This statement of the Minister is also important because Char Dham Yatra is going to start soon and during this time there is unprecedented pressure of vehicles on the roads of Uttarakhand. Lakhs of devotees pass through these routes every year and their safety largely depends on these vehicles. In such a situation, if the fitness test remains a mere mere fulfillment, then the situation will not change even after the CAG report. Now it remains to be seen whether this confidence of Minister Batra comes to fruition or it also remains buried in the files of the Assembly.
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