Appointment at RTO Nagpur Rural despite then CP’s adverse report

 

 

 

The recent appointment of officials at the Regional Transport Office (RTO) has stirred controversy. This follows a report by then Commissioner of Police (CP) Amitesh Kumar, who had recommended that six controversial RTO officials be reassigned to non-executive positions outside Nagpur. Despite this recommendation, the Transport Department has appointed a senior official to the RTO Nagpur Rural. In April 2023, CP Kumar had sent a letter to the Principal Secretary of the Transport Department and suggested the reassignment of all officers currently stationed at the Nagpur RTO to non-executive roles outside the city. This was to ensure a fair investigation into allegations of corruption involving cash transactions for appointment at the RTO.

 

Despite Kumar’s recommendation, Vijay Chavan, who was previously at the Kolhapur RTO, has been reappointed to the RTO Nagpur Rural just two months after his earlier reassignment. This decision has surprised many, particularly because the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the RTO case has not yet completed its work. Chavan had previously served as Deputy Regional Transport Officer in Gadchiroli and had shown his appointment at Gondia RTO and wrongfully took charge of RTO Nagpur Rural. In 2023, a recording of a meeting discussing RTO officer transfers for cash and appointments went viral. Following this, CP Amitesh Kumar had ordered a probe and recommended that several officials, including Vijay Chavan, Ravindra Bhuyar, Geeta Shejwal, Kulbir Kalshi, Sanket Gaikwad, and Rahul Pawar, be reassigned to non-executive positions outside Nagpur. Following these recommendations, the officials were transferred. However, Bhuyar challenged Kumar's recommendations in court, resulting in a stay of the recommendation for Bhuyar. Recently, the Transport Department conducted a lottery for transfers but later altered the decisions. Even after these changes, the department transferred officials within two months. When asked about the transfers, Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar stated that the transfers were carried out based on administrative needs. Bhimanwar refused to comment on the CP Amitesh Kumar’s report.