TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: While state transport department highlight cutting down on interaction between the public and officials to avoid corruption, a leading car brand franchisee and another two have told Herald, about this sorry saga, of how a few RTO officials have made life tough for car sales showrooms in Goa.
A “pickup and drop service” from their office to the showroom, assured cash for every certified vehicle and VIP treatment is expected by some RTO officials who certify the cars before they are sold to customers.
A pick and drop service in a plush, lavish car in line with the convenience and preference expressed by the RTO followed by Rs 50 to Rs 100 per vehicle to inspect the new, unloaded four-wheelers is what a leading car showroom owner told Herald was the “going rate”.
“If you don’t succumb to the demand of these officials, your brand new yet-to-be sold vehicle might receive a `damaged’ or `faulty’ remark on the certificate which makes it non-sellable,” he said. And if a car has to be registered in the name of a non-Goan having no residential certificate, then don’t worry ~ a bribe of Rs 5000 to Rs 7000 gets it done without any hurdles, added another car brand franchisee.
Bribes to RTO officials is not a new phenomenon in Goa, as right from vehicle licences to registrations, there have been numerous complaints that one need to pay bribes to officials to get work done in a time-bound manner or else one has to be ready to do regular rounds of RTO offices.
Already hit by increased registration fees and the downturn in the economy, car dealers are furious that they have to also pay bribes right from inspection of vehicle to registration, where on an average they have to pay around Rs 250 to 400 per car to the officials ranking from cashier to inspector. The registration fees have gone up from 6 per cent to 8 per cent of the total cost of vehicle. One of the dealer’s executives from a leading showroom having its base in Verna, on condition on anonymity, said: “We pay Rs 50 per car to RTO officials for carrying out inspection of vehicles or else they don’t give a positive remark.” “Once the vehicles are unloaded at the showroom, we have to send a plush car with driver to the nearest RTO to pick up the official who will visit the showroom for inspection as per his convenience. The drivers are made to wait for hours outside their offices,” added the owner.
It does not end here. The dealer has to pay around Rs 200 per car to the RTO inspector to get his signature for registration of car.
“The amount is collected by the cashier, who also demands another hundred rupees as his fees,” dealer alleged.
A showroom dealer from Panjim also had the same complaint and for him the amount ranges between Rs 100 for inspection), Rs 250 for registration and Rs 100 for the cashier.
