Team Herald
PANJIM: The All Goa Private Bus Owners Association (AGPBOA) served a notice to the State government demanding to complete ongoing disciplinary inquiry proceedings into the illegal recruitment of 36 Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspectors (AMVIs) for allegedly submitting fake experience certificates to the Department of Transport.
AGPBOA and RTI activist Sudip Tamankar demanded action/termination of these AMVIs from the government service within a period of 15 days from the receipt if the notice, failing which he will be compelled to initiate contempt of court proceedings in the High Court of Bombay at Goa.
Notices have been served on the Chief Secretary, Secretary (Transport) and the Director of Transport. Tamankar said that he had earlier issued notices to the department on four occasions with regard to the matter but till date no action has been taken against them. The issue has to be resolved now, since it was going from 2012, he said.
Tamankar said that due to ongoing inquiry, these 36 AMVIs are on probation since 2019 due to which promotions of another batch of seven AMVIs is delayed. Also 19 vacancies of MVIs have been created in the department but due to probation period and ongoing inquiry, promotions are held up.
According to Tamankar, in December 2010, the government advertised 14 posts of AMVIs but recruited 29 AMVIs in 2012 thereby violating Articles 14 and 16 (1) of the Constitution of India. Again another nine AMVIs were recruited and most of them submitted fake experience certificates. Following complaints by some individuals, services of two AMVIs were terminated by the government.
The Vigilance Department in its inquiry report had stated that FIR be registered against these 36 AMVIs for producing fake experience certificates.
Tamankar said that he filed a writ petition in the High Court in 2012 and the government sought time one-year to conduct departmental inquiry. Again in October 2014 he filed another petition, and the government sought six months’ time to hold inquiry as per the CCS Conduct Rules and take action against them. Later the then Ponda deputy collector was appointed as the inquiry officer.