The latest transfer exercise has worked in variance to the transport department’s requirements of 30 more personnel to effectively monitor transport operations in the state capital.
All three passenger tax officers (PTOs) posted in Lucknow have been transferred, leaving just one officer (assistant road transport officer, enforcement) in the field to oversee checking operations across a city with more than 3.3 million registered vehicles.
The transport enforcement wing in Lucknow is responsible for monitoring a wide range of activities, including action against illegal commercial vehicles, overloaded transporters and violations related to passenger transport. The city’s growing size and increasing traffic volume have added to the workload.
Although three enforcement posts exist on paper, officials said only one ARTO had been actively handling field operations for a long time. He was assisted by a team of PTOs during special drives and inspections. With the recent transfers that support structure has effectively disappeared.
Among those transferred are Asha Tripathi, who has been posted to Agra, SP Singh, who has been moved to Sambhalpur, and Anita Verma, who has been transferred to Bareilly. Another officer, Vivek Singh, was initially transferred to Lucknow but reportedly obtained a cancellation of the order within a day, citing personal reasons.
On the basis of anonymity, transport department officials said the Lucknow office carries additional responsibilities because of the city’s status as the state capital. Apart from routine enforcement work, officers are required to coordinate VIP movements, monitor vehicle operations, oversee school transport compliance and conduct checks on highways to curb illegal transport services.
A few weeks earlier, a letter had been sent to the transport headquarters regarding the requirement of at least 30 more enforcement officers, including PTOs. The situation now is that the only three PTOs have also been shifted, leaving the city almost on its own.
Interestingly, while the enforcement wing has seen a decline in manpower, the number of clerical employees in the office has increased. Sources said more than 30 clerical staff members are already posted in the Lucknow RTO office, with several continuing on the same assignments for well over a decade.
Following the latest transfer exercise, five more clerical employees have joined the office, while only one staff member was transferred. The development has brought into focus the glaring gap in the imbalance between field and office postings.
