ARTO Office Poonch, “A hub of corruption.” Lack of answerability, officials remain in office becomes agents

Poonch, Motor Vehicle Department in Jammu and Kashmir is in deep slumber, as people from Poonch have lodged number of complaints, agitation against Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO) Poonch and many pending cases are carrying-on in Poonch court, but Transport Department is not taking cognizance into the matter. As ARTO Poonch is accused for many corruption cases, but everyone got shocked when ARTO found working in his Poonch office at 08:30 pm and some agents from Mendhar, Surankote and Poonch were also available in his office. Transporters, Drivers’Union and locals expressed their anguish over incompetences of State Transport Authorities and accused authorities for their involvement in such scandals. A driver Mohd Khalid said, he has filed his Learner license in March 2019 for approval, four months have been passed and ARTO didn’t approve it without commission. Another locals Mohd Afzal said, ARTO force them to come through some special agents for his work. Mohd Ishaq, Iqbal Hussain and many others said, ARTO has open doors for some special agents and common masses are deprived. Sunny, Dutta and many others said, Poonch people are fed-up for negligences and mismanagements of ARTO and appealed to governor Satya Pal Malik and Transport Commissioner to take cognizance and transfer such negligent and corrupt officer at an earliest.