Rs 180 crore dues pile up at Uppal RTO; Vigilance raids expose lapses across govt offices

Hyderabad: Serious administrative lapses, massive tax arrears and poor governance standards have come to light during recent surprise inspections conducted by the Vigilance and Enforcement Department across multiple government offices in Telangana.

The findings include Rs 180.65 crore in long-pending dues at the Uppal Regional Transport Office (RTO), widespread absenteeism among staff and illegal operations in industrial units without mandatory safety clearances.

Rs 180 crore tax arrears at Uppal RTO

The Uppal RTO alone accounts for Rs 180.65 crore in unpaid taxes linked to 16,137 registered vehicles, with dues pending for several years.

Officials noted that if such irregularities exist in a single office, similar or larger discrepancies may surface in other RTOs across the state.

Backlog of licences and documents

Around 5,000 driving licences and registration certificates (RCs) were found lying unattended at the Uppal RTO office, some pending for 3–4 years, highlighting severe inefficiencies in document processing.

Private individuals performing govt duties

At the Bandlaguda Tahsildar office, private individuals were found carrying out official government functions—raising serious concerns about accountability and misuse of authority.

Special focus on CORE Urban Region (CURE)

With the government designating areas within the Outer Ring Road as the CORE Urban Region Economy (CURE), authorities have intensified monitoring of public service delivery, record maintenance, tax collection and the role of middlemen. Special task force teams carried out inspections between April 1 and 8 across key offices and industrial zones.

Widespread irregularities across departments

Inspections covered multiple government departments, including Tahsildar offices, sub-registrar offices, GHMC divisions, electricity departments and industrial units.

Key findings include:

Electricity Department (TGSPDCL):

Over 40,000 registered cases were reviewed, of which 4,685 remain unresolved, involving dues of Rs 3.88 crore. In Patancheru alone, Rs 2.65 crore is pending from 19,620 defaulters.

GHMC LB Nagar Circle:

Property tax arrears of Rs 67 crore and trade licence dues of Rs 9 crore were identified.

Ajamapura Sub-Registrar Office:

No clear records or explanations were available for 65 registered documents over the past two years.

Industries operating without safety clearances

Nearly 10 industrial units in the Patancheru area were found operating without essential approvals, including trade licences, labour permits and fire safety clearances. Alarmingly, many lacked even basic fire safety equipment.

Employees coming as late as 11:30 am

Across all inspected offices, punctuality was virtually non-existent.

Not a single staff member was present at 10:30 am, with most arriving as late as 11:30 am, and some were absent altogether. Around 500 employees' attendance patterns were reviewed during the raids.

Public urged to report corruption

Vigilance & Enforcement Director General Shikha Goel stated that surveillance will continue in the CURE region to ensure transparency in governance. Citizens are encouraged to report corruption, tax evasion, and misuse of public resources via the toll-free helpline 14432.