In an attempt to cover up the mess in the Transport Department for allowing the unfit and illegitimate private vehicles to transport passengers, the Cuttack RTO on Tuesday lodged an FIR at the lalbag police station here against the owner of the ill-fated bus that met with the accident in Deogarh district on Sunday evening killing 27 passengers. The RTO had reportedly lodged a similar FIR with the Deogarh SP on Monday.
While it is not yet known as to whether the Deogarh police have registered a case against the owner of the bus or not, the Cuttack police have refused to register a case in this regard stating that the place of occurrence do not come under its jurisdiction. “If any vehicle registered with Cuttack RTO meets an accident in any part of the country, the lalbag police is not responsible to deal with it,” said local police inspector Debadutta Baral.
When contacted, Cuttack RTO Diptee Ranjan Patra admitted that he had lodged a similar FIR with the Deogarh police on Monday urging the district SP to initiate criminal proceedings against the owner of the bus for abetting the fatal accident by transporting passengers in an unfit vehicle.
Patra said the bus was registered in the name of one Tapan Mohanty of Nimeishapur of Cuttack Sadar in 2008 and it obtained the last fitness certificate in April 2012.
“Since March 2013, the owner has failed to pay the requisite taxes for which a certificate case was instituted against him at the local tehsildar office,” the RTO said, adding that the records in the transport department show the bus to be owned by Mohanty till it met with the accident on Sunday.
However, sources said that Mohanty without changing the ownership had allegedly sold the bus to one Altaf Hussain, who runs a transport business in Bargarh district.