Jammu and Kashmir Anti-corruption Bureau on Monday registered a case against an official of the Motor Vehicle Department Jammu.
The ACB spokesman said that a case has been registered against one Manju Sharma, then Junior Assistant, other officers, and officials posted in Regional Transport Office (RTO) Jammu and others on the outcome of a verification conducted by this Bureau to look into the allegations of irregularities committed by officials of Motor Vehicle Department in Regional Transport Office Jammu about collection and deposition of passenger tax as well as probable misappropriation of same from 2018 onwards till collection of same through online mode, pursuant to the receipt of the communication dated March 6, 2023 from General Administration Department.
He said that the verification conducted revealed that one Manju Sharma, Junior Assistant was deputed in the Accounts Section of Regional Transport Office, Jammu to collect Passenger Tax from owners of Passenger Commercial Vehicles during the period in question.
While collecting the passenger Tax Dues, she acted dishonestly and resorted to randomly concealing the actual amount of Passenger Tax received from Vehicle owners and operators by way of reflecting only a meagre part of amount in official record than the amount which she collected on account of Passenger Tax.
“The only amount of Passenger Tax as reflected in counterfoil of Government Receipts (GRs) was deposited in Government Treasury whereas the rest of the amount collected from Vehicle Owners and Operators stands misappropriated by her,” said the spokesman. Furthermore, the Manual Cash Book and Day Book and vehicle-wise details pertaining to collection and deposition of Passenger Tax dues during the period have not been properly maintained which paved the way to embezzled and misappropriated Passenger Tax dues.
“During the course of verification, it surfaced that an amount of more than 10 lakhs has been misappropriated in view of random cross checking of some copies of GRs and Owner’s copies of GRs,” he said.
The spokesman said that the same may increase further in respect of other passenger commercial vehicles of Jammu, if detected during investigation, adding, “the role of the officers and officials of RTO office Jammu, in abetting and facilitating such misappropriation of passenger tax amount during that period cannot be ruled out.”
By acting in this manner, Manju Sharma, then Junior Assistant in lieu of criminal conspiracy with other employees of RTO office Jammu, dishonestly and fraudulently misappropriated huge amount of passenger tax so collected from various owners and operators during that period, said the spokesman adding that further investigation in the case is in progress.
