Koshi Minister makes covert inspection of transport office

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT,Biratnagar, Feb. 13: Minister for Internal Affairs and Law Shumsher Rai of Koshi Province conducted a covert inspection at a trial centre of the Transport Management Office in Itahari, Sunsari, presenting himself as an ordinary citizen on Monday. 

The inspection was carried out with the aim of finding misconduct and corruption activities at the trial centre. 

Upon receiving numerous complaints related to dependency on brokers while receiving services at the transport office and corruption at the organisational level, Minister Rai reached the office as an ordinary client wearing an informal outfit. 

According to Minister Rai, many weaknesses were witnessed during the inspection. He said, "Service seekers had to pay Rs. 500 for the eye test. Until bribing Rs. 500 one could not get their eyes checked. Additionally, the trial result, which needed to be recorded immediately after the trial in the field, was not documented."

He said that many people at the centre were found openly engaging in transactions with middlemen to get their licenses. Based on the transaction, settings were made accordingly at the Department of Transport Management, Koshi. 

Minister Rai pointed out that the failure to document trial results immediately after conducting a trial indicated the presence of setting at a higher level. He said that although the transport offices were expanded to make the license services recipient-oriented, the dependency on middlemen still existed. He assured that steps would be taken to rectify misconduct at the transport offices. 

Meanwhile, Chandra Prasad Prasai, the head of the Transport Management Office in Itahari, assured Minister Rai stating that they had prohibited middlemen on the premises. However, many middlemen were found present on the premises wearing masks and caps hiding their identities.