Surat RTO in a fix as Instructor Found in Dual Role at Driving School

Surat : The Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Surat is facing serious allegations of negligence and misconduct, following revelations that an instructor at the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) operated by the Gujarat Government has been simultaneously acting as a full-time instructor and one of the owners of a Surat-based BM Motor Driving Training School. The driving school, licensed and registered by the Surat RTO, has been accused of providing heavy vehicle driver licenses without adhering to proper training protocols mandated by the Transport department.

Darshan Naik, the General Secretary of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC), has submitted a written complaint to Gujarat’s Minister of Home and Transport, Harsh Sanghavi, and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, highlighting the alleged irregularities by BM Motor Driving Training School’s proprietors.

According to information obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act from the Surat RTO office, Naik revealed that BM Motor Driving Training School, located on Pal Road, Surat, lists three administrators registered with the Surat RTO. Shockingly, one of these administrators is employed as an Automobile Engineer at a government-run ITI.

Questions arise over how an individual, already engaged in government service at ITI, can manage full-time instruction at a heavy motor driving training school. There are no legal provisions allowing a government employee to simultaneously work as an instructor at a heavy motor driving school.

During a surprise inspection, it was discovered that the proprietors of BM Motor Driving Training School had not complied with the rules and regulations governing the operation of motor driving training schools. This contravenes the provisions laid down in Clause 12 of the Motor Vehicle Act 1988, as well as Rule 24(2), Rule 27, and Rule 61 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989.

Naik has demanded stringent action against BM Motor Driving Training School for allegedly misleading the State Government and endangering society by granting driving licenses to heavy vehicle drivers without conducting proper training and tests.

“The situation calls for an investigation into whether a government instructor in ITI can concurrently serve as a full-time instructor at BM Motor Driving Training School,” asked Naik, underscoring the need for clarity and accountability in this matter.