Explosive allegations of fuel bill fraud in Ludhiana RTO Spark treasury probe | Ludhiana News

Ludhiana: The district treasury office has sought an explanation from the regional transport office (RTO) following a complaint filed by the city. Right to information (RTI) Ajay Sharma, activist. Sharma accused RTO officers and employees for discrepancies in records and submission of fraudulent fuel invoices.
Based on Sharma’s complaint and supporting documents, the district treasury office sent a letter to the RTO, demanding a speedy response to the allegations. A copy of the letter was obtained by The Times of India.
Sharma said he had obtained the 2021 logbook of the official RTO vehicle from the Accountant General of Punjab. According to records, on September 14, 2021, the RTO claimed that 20 liters of fuel were added to the official vehicle PB-11-BU-6827. However, no corresponding entry was made in the logbook. Additionally, none of the fuel invoices submitted to the Treasury office in September 2021 bore the signature of the driver or transportation department manager, but the invoices were approved.
Sharma also alleged other discrepancies, such as fuel receipts submitted for one vehicle but recorded for another. He urged the Treasury office to review the Transportation Department’s records to resolve the issue and take action against those involved.
Earlier this year, in February, Sharma filed a police complaint seeking an FIR against the motor vehicle inspector and public information officer (PIO) of the RTO for providing false information. The activist had sought details of fuel expenditure from the RTA (now RTO) secretary in Ludhiana, but the PIO replied that the records could not be provided due to budgetary constraints. However, the Treasury office had already paid the bills for the secretary’s fuel expenses. This complaint is still pending with the police.

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