Orders of Haryana Transport Commissioner, Ashok Khemka to deny fitness certificates to over-sized trucks and trailers, that are used to transport cars and two-wheelers in the industrial belt of Gurgaon-Manesar-Bawal, is making headlines these days.
Having failed to get any relief from Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, and Haryana BJP affairs chief Anil Jain, thousands of truckers have gone on strike.
Truckers are facing a tough officer called Ashok Khemka, who had shot into international media headlines by cancelling the mutation of land deals between realty giant, DLF and Robert Vadra, son-in-law of theCongress Chief, Sonia Gandhi.
Oversized vehicles are source of hefty money for owners, although they cause large number of road accidents, and damage public property like roads and bridges.
Every year owners of oversized vehicles used to get fitness certificates by bribing the concerned officers. In that system both the bribe givers and takers were happy. Truckers are demanding two more years for altering vehicles according to allowed specifications.
Recalled that Hooda Govt., under the pressure from powerful lobby of truckers, had given relaxations to truckers in granting fitness certificates against the advise of legal remembrancer.
Long time back it was Narendra Modi, who in his capacity as Chief Minister of Gujarat had brought this irregularity in the notic of his Haryana counterpart, then Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Gujarat Police have detained a truck having Haryana licence. Owner had approached, Manish Grover, presently BJP MLA of party from Rohtak and told him that Gujarat Police was demanding hefty amount as bribe. Grover in turn had requested Manohar Lal Khattar for help.
Khattar had told this citizen journalist that when he contacted Gujarat's transport minister, he was told that no body was demanding bribe. The authorities had asked the truck owner to pay fine or face impounding of the vehicle.
Later the matter was brought in the notice of Narendra Modi, who reportedly wrote a letter to then HaryanaChief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, following which some vehicles were fined.