Whose truck is this anyway?

Six tonnes of food grains are rotting in a truck seized by the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) more than threee months ago. Interestingly, the vehicle bears a sign indicating the food grains are meant for the mid-day meal scheme of the state government. However, the authorities concerned have claimed that the load does not belong to them and the truck was not on official duty.

The sign on the vehicle states, ‘Emergency service, in service of Maharashtra government. Rice meant for mid-day meal programme’. Pune RTO officials said the district collector has denied that the food grain in the truck was for the purpose of mid-day meal programme.

The Pune RTO had confiscated the truck bearing registration number MH-12-DT-7577 on June 7 as the driver failed to produce the original documents of registration, insurance, permit and road tax. Regional transport officer Arun Yeola told dna, “We do not keep perishable products for a long time. We even wrote to the owner of the vehicle, Baviskar Sunil Murlidhar from Bhor, asking him to pay the road tax pending since October 2009 and produce the original documents of the vehicle and take the truck.”

Yeola added, “There was a board on the truck that states the food products belong to the government of Maharashtra and the vehicle was carrying six tonnes of rice and wheat for midday meal. Hence, we sent a letter to the district collector on June 24 asking them to take the food grains. The letter was forwarded to primary education department of Pune Zilla Parishad who replied on July 1 that the food grains and truck both did not belong to them and were not on government duty.”

In fact, ZP officials said they smelt a rat since the board on the vehicle claimed that food grains were meant for midday meals programme and this matter should be investigated and strict action be taken against the persons concerned.

In the meanwhile, Pune RTO said they have sent a letter to the owner under the provisions of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966 and if there is no response from the owner after the third letter, then the RTO will auction the vehicle by the second week of November.