Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday took serious note of touts offering services provided under new Right to Public Services (RTPS) Act for a price following which the Patna police conducted raids at various offices and arrested 11 middlemen. The action came after The Indian Express carried a report,Bihars showpiece law faces its first test on Friday. CM House sources said that Nitish,due to start his seva yatra from November first week to assess RTPS Act progress,was displeased at revelations on how touts went about their business of luring common people to render services at a cost all across Bihar including at three Patna offices. As the CM is embarking on an important yatra,he will not accept any let down in new Act implementation, said a source. Nitish reportedly asked senior government officials including ones from General Administration Department to take corrective steps to free the RTPS delivery mechanism of touts. The department has already been considering a cap of one person making only three applications at a time. The departments Bihar Prashnik Mission Sudhar Society,nodal monitoring body,has been mulling to introduce online application from October and will seek suggestions on introducing tatkal seva. Patna Central SP Shivdeep Lande told The Indian Express : We today conducted raids at District Transport Office where a large number of applicants gather to get driving licences. We found that each tout was carrying five-six forms.
