NEWS > 02 April 2007

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Times of India - New Delhi,Ind
02 April 2007

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Cargo of corruption uncovered

HUBLI: A traffic inspector caught on camera accepting money from a truck operator transporting manganese ore here has exposed the unholy nexus between police and truck operators.

Police inspector Shivashankar Gadad was suspended after he was caught red-handed while accepting Rs 1,000 from journalists of a private news channel who posed as truck operators.

While this was probably the first "sting operation" of its kind reported in the region, the issue has brought to light the infamous "monthly culture"in the police department.

Dharwad MP Prahlad Joshi and MLC Basavaraj Bommai said the sting operation has clearly exposed the nexus between the truck operators and police.

"The government should do something to stop this unholy culture", they asserted. While Joshi insisted that he will soon write to the chief minister seeking a CoD probe into the matter, Bommai said he will again raise the issue in the Council with more facts and figures.

Explaining the nuances of this widespread corruption, an officebearer of Dharwad truckers'union said traffic police here were primarily functioning as brokers between truckers and the police department to collect the "monthly"(read bribe).

The nexus between the traffic police and truckers thrives on printing and circulating tokens used to identify vehicles whose owners pay up regularly.

The tokens,which cost a trucker anywherer from Rs 400 to Rs 1,000 a month, come with the assurance of protection in an area against challans for traffic violations.

"The monthly is shared by the officials of the area in which the truckers are assured of no challans,"said a traffic constable.

Sources said the tokens used are changed every month. "The token's make and colour are changed. A new sticker indicates the trucker has paid up for the new month,"said a truck driver.

"Truckers who pass through Hubli daily, tie up with the traffic policemen posted on their route. They use tokens bearing religious slogans as a mark of identification,"said a truck owner.

"The slogan is changed every month. If it is Ganesha one month, it was changed to Hanuman the next month,"said a truck union member.

Sources said the corrupt traffic policemen relied on representatives of truck unions for printing and distributing the stickers as well as for collecting the bribe, in order to avoid detection.

"The monthly is collected and delivered by a representative of the union at a designated spot. This reduces the risk of a policeman on duty getting caught," a traffic policeman said.

The racket is more common in commercial areas, the starting point for a large number of trucks and light commercial vehicles.

A year ago, the range IGP Doreswamy Naik had led a team and seized such tokens. When contacted, senior police officers refused to comment on the issue, while the police commissioner was unavailable.

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Article sourced from

Times of India - New Delhi,Ind02 April 2007

Cargo of corruption uncovered

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Times of India - New Delhi,Ind
02 April 2007