Mahesh Zagade Alleges Maharashtra RTOs Collect Rs 1,700 Crore in Bribes Annually

Former Maharashtra transport commissioner and Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) chief Mahesh Zagade alleged on Wednesday that Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) across Maharashtra pocket an estimated Rs 1,700 crore in bribes every year.

Speaking at a book launch event held at the Mumbai Press Club, the senior bureaucrat demanded the outright abolition of both RTOs and talathis, or village-level revenue offices. He described these establishments as "engines of corruption" within the state administrative system.

Zagade stated that the presence of modern digital infrastructure has made such physical offices completely obsolete. He argued that the current digital setup can handle the services traditionally provided by these administrative units without requiring physical public-facing offices.