Kathmandu, July 30:

After receiving a number of complaints related to corruption, a team of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) inspected the Bagmati Zonal Transport Management Office today.

In their complaints, service-seekers had said staffers of the office were resorting to financial irregularities while issuing driving licences.

A five-member team led by investigating officer Dilli Raman Acharya inspected the office.

Under-secretary Rajendra Shrestha, section officer Ram Krishna Adhikari and police inspectors Shiva Ram Basnet and Nava Raj Pudasaini were members of the inspection team.

“The office was found to be issuing around 300 licences a day, which is unbelievable given the strength of the staff. The issuing of licences in such a scale has led us to suspect that corruption and financial irregularities might have been rife. In the name of helping commoners assist in the licence-issuing process, mediators have been promoting corruption and irregularities,” Acharya told this daily.

He suggested appointing sufficient number of staffers in the office and adopting smart cards to curb corruption and irregularities.

“The team also consulted with officials so as to make the license- issuing process transparent and effective,” Acharya added.