Driving school issued licences in Kollam: Questions raised over RTO’s purpose

Kollam: Authorities in Kollam have uncovered a suspected corruption case involving the regional transport office (RTO), where driving school owners are alleged to have played an active role in issuing driving licences through official systems.

The investigation suggests that a vehicle inspector at the Kollam RTO shared his login credentials, including username, password and one-time passwords, for accessing the government’s Vahan system. This allowed driving school operators to carry out official tasks that are normally restricted to authorised government personnel.

How the irregularities were detected

The issue came to light during a vigilance probe that examined IP addresses linked to logins on the Vahan platform. Investigators traced multiple activities to locations associated with driving schools rather than the RTO office itself, raising suspicion of unauthorised access.

The probe further indicated that intermediaries may have been involved in facilitating the process, enabling external parties to operate within the official digital system used for vehicle registration and licensing.

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Allegations against the RTO official

According to findings, the vehicle inspector reportedly shared sensitive access credentials with driving school owners. In some instances, the inspector is also believed to have left the office after delegating access, allowing others to continue processing applications.

By transferring both login details and one-time passwords, control over key administrative functions was effectively handed over to private entities.

Nature of the alleged violations

The irregularities reportedly included issuance of driving licences to individuals who had not appeared for tests or had failed them. In addition, licence renewals and other administrative processes were allegedly completed without proper verification by authorised officials.

The vigilance team also flagged discrepancies in vehicle records. Some vehicles that were marked as operational were later found to be in poor condition, while others registered under official records were reportedly dismantled in workshops.

The case raises concerns about misuse of government digital infrastructure and lack of oversight in sensitive administrative systems like Vahan. It also highlights risks associated with sharing credentials and weak internal controls within public offices.

Authorities are expected to continue their investigation to determine the full extent of the alleged misconduct and identify all individuals involved in the process.