Maharashtra to pay ₹500 crore to private firm for closure of 22 RTO checkposts
State govt would first have to pay ₹504 crore as compensation to a private company before it shuts down 22 RTO border checkposts, an official release said on Sunday.
According to the statement, the company was contracted to implement an 'Integrated Check Post' project for the state transport and customs departments and, according to the signed deal, was to operate and maintain facilities at the RTO points. But since a decision was made to shut the border posts, the company would have to be compensated for the investment it made, the release said, quoting Maharashtra transport minister,
Pratap Sarnaik
.
"However, after paying this amount, the related technology and immovable assets will become the property of the transport department," the statement added.
Sarnaik said a proposal to this effect has been sent by his department to the chief minister's office. All border checks will be closed as soon as the approval is received.
In September 2021, the
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
wrote a letter to Maharashtra and other states, saying there was no need anymore for regular check posts at the state borders after introduction of GST in July 2017. The ministry sought status reports from 13 states, including Maharashtra, on
closure of RTO check posts
.
Sarnaik said the decision to close RTO check posts would bring Maharashtra on par with 18 other states in adopting a modern, paperless, and technology-based
transport monitoring system
. "This important decision is in line with the central govt's vision of Ease of Doing Business. It will benefit scores of transporters and will improve road safety as well," the minister said.
But the state Congress unit has objected to the proposed release of ₹504 crore to the private firm. "State govt must put before the public the agreement documents and its terms and conditions. Taxpayers must know how the amount of ₹504 crore was arrived at and whether the govt was actually legally bound to pay such a huge amount of money," state general secretary of the party, Jitendra Dehade, said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
39 minutes ago
- Hans India
INDIA Bloc writes to PM Modi, demands special Parliament session on Operation Sindoor
New Delhi: In a united move, 16 opposition parties from the INDIA Bloc have written a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to convene a special session of Parliament to deliberate on the recent Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor, and other key national security issues. While the opposition has extended support to the government's actions against terrorism, it has also stressed the importance of transparent and strategic discussions within the framework of Parliament. 'Our demand has been consistent -- a special session of Parliament should be called, not only to express gratitude to our armed forces for their bravery and sacrifice, but also to allow the government to present its comprehensive stance on the matter,' the Congress said in a statement following a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders. Addressing the media, Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda elaborated on the parties' concerns: 'We expect the government to speak on issues such as Operation Sindoor, the recent ceasefire announcement by the US, diplomatic efforts to isolate Pakistan globally, and a concrete strategy to uproot terrorism. Parliament is the voice of 140 crore citizens -- this is where such matters must be addressed.' Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien emphasised the constitutional responsibility of the government to keep Parliament informed. 'The government is accountable to the Parliament, and Parliament is accountable to the people. That is why 16 parties have signed this letter, demanding a special session,' he said. The parties that signed the letter include Congress, SP, AITC, DMK, Shiv Sena (UBT), RJD, J&K NC, CPI(M), IUML, CPI, RSP, JMM, VCK, Kerala Congress, MDMK, CPI (ML). Additionally, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), though not a signatory to the joint letter, has sent a separate communication to the Prime Minister echoing the same demand. The meeting of the INDIA Bloc leaders was held in New Delhi's Constitution Club to discuss these pressing matters. Earlier, 200 MPs from the Lok Sabha signed a letter to PM Modi calling for convening a special session of Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, which took place in its aftermath
Hans India
39 minutes ago
- Hans India
Bhu Bharati will permanently solve land problems: Telangana Deputy CM Vikramarka
Hyderabad: Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has said that the Congress government brought the Bhu Bharati Act to permanently solve the land woes faced by people, especially farmers. He, along with Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, attended 'Revenue Sadassu' in Mulugumadu village of Yerrupalem mandal in Khammam district on Tuesday. Bhu Bharati Revenue Sadassu are being organised from June 3 to 20 to create awareness among farmers about the Bhu Bharati (Record of Rights) Act, which came into force in April. Bhu Bharati portal was launched by the state government as a solution to land-related issues, which cropped up after the introduction of the Dharani portal by the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government. The Deputy Chief Minister claimed that the Congress government brought the legislation in a transparent manner. Vikramarka described Bhu Bharati as the best revenue legislation in the country. The legislation aims to conduct a survey of farmers' lands and fix their boundaries without any disputes. He alleged that the Dharani legislation of the previous BRS government had violated the rights of farmers. The Deputy Chief Minister said that BRS leaders brought the Dharani law to hand over lands to whomever they liked. He said, "The Congress government threw the Dharani law into the Bay of Bengal as was promised during the elections." He recalled that the Congress government in the past had distributed 26 lakh acres of land among the poor under the Land Reforms Act. These assigned lands were placed under party B of the Dharani portal, and no inquiry was conducted. Vikramarka said the government would conduct an inquiry into the assigned lands and give land pattas to genuine assignees. Assigned committees under the leadership of MLAs will be constituted to give cultivable lands and house sites to the landless poor. Under the Bhu Bharat Act, land survey will be conducted. Revenue Sadassu will be conducted every year. Gram sabhas will be held to give details of land transactions in the village and the changes in the land record. Srinivas Reddy said the government would soon issue 'Bhudhar cards' for lands on the lines of Aadhaar cards for human beings. He said the legislation was brought to make sure that farmers do not face any issues. The Revenue Minister said licensed surveyors will be used to conduct land surveys. A total of 3,500 revenue officials are being appointed to solve land issues in villages. Agriculture Minister Rao said their government brought a revolutionary law to solve the problems of farmers. He said for decades, the successive governments brought many laws but could not solve land problems, but Bhu Bharati will permanently solve the problems. The Bhu Bharati Act came into force on April 14. Revenue Sadassu were held on a pilot basis in four mandals of four districts. Under the second phase, the meetings were held in 28 mandals in 28 villages from May 5. The meetings are now being held in the remaining mandals across the state from June 3 to June 20. In the first two phases, authorities received 55,000 applications relating to land issues. According to the Revenue Minister, 60 per cent of the issues have been resolved.
News18
44 minutes ago
- News18
'Talks Can Happen Only If...': Shashi Tharoor Lays Out Conditions For India-Pakistan Dialogue
Last Updated: The problem in holding talks with Pakistan is not the language but finding a common vision for decency and peace, Shashi Tharoor said Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is leading an all-party parliamentary delegation to Brazil, said on Tuesday that New Delhi could engage in dialogue with Pakistan if it takes significant action against the infrastructure of terrorism that is visible everywhere in the country. The problem in holding talks with Pakistan is not the language but finding a common vision for decency and peace, the Congress MP said, adding that his team successfully conveyed India's message against terrorism to the Latin American countries. 'This is what we keep telling our interlocutors. If Pakistan is as innocent as they claim to be, why does it give safe haven to wanted terrorists? Why are they able to live peacefully, to conduct training camps…and radicalise further people, to equip arms and get people to practice their arms and Kalashnikovs," Tharoor told PTI. 'You crack down on this infrastructure of terrorism that is visible everywhere in your country. Then, of course, we can talk," he said. 'We can talk to them in Hindustani. We can talk to them in Punjabi. We can talk to them in English. There is no problem in finding common ground with Pakistan. The problem is finding a common vision for decency, for peace. We want to be left in peace, to grow and develop. They don't want to leave us alone. They want to harass us. They want to undermine us," he said. Tharoor Vs Bhutto In US? The delegation led by Shashi Tharoor, comprises Sarfaraz Ahmad, Ganti Harish Madhur, Shashank Mani Tripathi, Bhubaneswar Kalita, Tejasvi Surya, and Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu. It will head to Washington DC from Brazil. Bhutto's nine-member delegation comprises former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, ex-Information Minister Sherry Rehman, former Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan, and former Foreign Secretaries Jalil Abbas Jilani and Tehmina Janjua. Tharoor On Global Response On being asked whether countries have acknowledged India's position on terrorism, Shashi Tharoor said his delegation had visited four nations—Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil—so far, and added, 'This has been very clear in all the countries we've been to." 'And I would say in all four countries, we've had a very, clear success, if that's the word, I don't like to boast of success. That's for others to judge. But we have got our message through very clearly, including to those who may have had some misunderstandings," he said, referring to Colombia. Earlier, Tharoor had said Colombia withdrew a statement offering condolences to Pakistan for the loss of lives following India's military strikes in response to the Pahalgam attack after his delegation explained Islamabad's relentless support to cross-border terrorism. 'And as a result of getting our message through, we have certainly been able, in my view, to come back feeling that these countries understand our situation better and express full solidarity with our struggle against terrorism, which is the main purpose of our trip," Tharoor said. On a question on the delegation's expectations from the Washington DC visit, Tharoor said, 'My expectations are that it's going to be a challenging visit. We have a lot of different kinds of audiences," he said.
