New Delhi: The Delhi government has ordered an inquiry into an IBN7 sting operation showing private bus drivers procuring licences based on fake addresses. The Delhi transport secretary said, "The story shows how touts are doing this, we need to check if and how many officials are involved."
CNN-IBN's sister channel IBN7 has conducted a special investigation showing that fake licences based on fake addresses are still being issued to bus drivers.
The Delhi gangrape of December 2012 was committed on board a private bus, which had a fake licence issued on a fake address. But has the government clamped down on fake bus licences? Not at all, found an IBN7 investigation.
At Delhi Transport's Loni office where private buses are registered and drivers verified, almost instantly IBN7 met touts promising to help them. IBN7's demand was commercial licences for six drivers, who had no address proof nor a one-year-old licence, which is mandatory by law. The tout, Sudhir Sharma had a simple solution for address proof, he would get the reporter a fake ration card.
Tout (Sudhir): I'll get your ration card made at their office itself.
Reporter: You know someone at the ration card office?
Tout: Of course, I can't print them at home.
Reporter: Right, what will it cost?
Tout: I charge Rs 2,000 for ration card. But for you, just Rs 1,500.
The tout also offered another solution.
Tout (Sudhir): I have a relative, Ashwini Kumar.
Reporter: Ashwini Kumar.
Tout (Sudhir): He's an MLO at the authority.
Reporter: Where?
Tout (Sudhir): In Hapur. Licence can be from anywhere, just has to be a commercial licence. I can even get you a 'heavy' (vehicle) licence.
As per law, a heavy commercial licence requires several tests and is issued a year after getting a commercial licence, but this tout needs just a few days.
Tout (Sudhir): People keep Rs 9,000 to Rs 10,000 ready for a commercial licence.
Reporter: Okay, the address we put will be false, right?
Tout (Sudhir): If you have original documents, we use them. If not, we fudge them.
Reporter: And if I have no documents?
Tout (Sudhir): Then Rs 9,000 to Rs 10,000.
Reporter: Money reaches senior transport officials?
Tout (Sudhir): To the top! It's the only way work happens. If you try to just go and get a licence yourself, it won't happen.
The next day the reporter was told his fake ration card and other documents were ready.
Tout (Sudhir): The address you gave, didn't come.
Reporter: It didn't come?
Tout (Sudhir): We got this - B-433 Gokulpuri. With the names - Suraj Singh, Sonu Singh, Amit Chaudhuri.
Inside the Loni authority office for verification, the reporters' documents went to another middleman, who runs a driving school.
Tout(Sudhir): The money goes through this person.
Reporter: The person who took the form?
Tout(Sudhir): Yes!
Reporter: He runs car training schools?
Tout(Sudhir): Yes.
Every rule could be broken here, all you had to do is pay. In 10 minutes the fake learning licence and ration card were back with the reporters. The reporters decided to check whether the fake address even existed.
Reporter: Where did this person hail from?
Person: He was from Kanpur,
Reporter: Okay he hailed from Kanpur.
Neighbour: Ramesh is not alive anymore.
Reporter: How many years back did he expire?
Person: Around five years back.
Reporter: What does his wife do?
Person: She washes dishes.
They would never know their address was on fake licences till a crime was committed and the police came knocking.
At Delhi's Transport's Mall Road office, the reporters met another tout, Suresh. Now the law says a commercial licence can be given only to a person who has cleared Class 8, and can read all signages on the road. The reporters told him none of the drivers were educated.
Reporter: You say fill up 10th, but how do we show 8th pass?
Tout (Suresh): If we show 10th fail, it means 8th pass, isn't it?
Reporter: Won't they ask for 8th or 9th marks?
Tout(Suresh): With money it all happens. People are getting BA degrees made.
The tout also had another solution for a fake address proof.
Tout (Suresh): Get an LIC policy. It works for address proof, and date of birth, as LIC is from the government.
At the Wazirpur Authority, the reporters met Kesari, who claimed to deliver anything at a price.
Reporter: For the private (licence), what's required?
Tout (Kesari): Age and address proof.
Reporter: If we don't have both?
Tout(Kesari): It will be done, but it will cost more.
Reporter: How much?
Tout(Kesari): Rs 4,000.
Reporter: One will cost Rs 4,000? How will you do it?
Tout(Kesari): That's my headache
After the Delhi gangrape, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit demanded that the Delhi Police be brought under the state government. But what about this shocking criminal activity that's going in the government's own Transport Department?
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