Public vehicles department officials, backed by unions, are not sealing taxi meters after tests at Salt Lake allowing drivers the opportunity to tamper with the gadgets.

Taxi drivers are taking their vehicles to Beltala public vehicles department (PVD) to get the meters sealed because the two officials responsible for the job have refused to go to the test centre at Salt Lake stadium which is run by a private company on a built-operate-transfer basis on behalf of the government.

The taxi drivers do not mind. Till a few days ago, they were reluctant to drive to Salt Lake for tests but now have no problems going to Salt Lake and then to Beltola.

“We are getting more than a couple of hours to get our meters sealed after getting them tested at Salt Lake. We can go to Oriyapara and make some adjustments in the meter. That will cover the cost of the diesel we are burning to travel from Salt Lake to Beltala,” said a taxi driver while getting his meter sealed at the public vehicles department.

The motor vehicle inspectors of the five transport authorities whose taxis ply in the Calcutta Metropolitan Area — Calcutta, Alipore, Barasat, Howrah and Barrackpore — had earlier refused to test the meters at the Salt Lake centre but had to bow to pressure from the top brass.

The officials responsible for sealing the meters, however, are bent on flouting the rules. “Our people will not go and seal metres at a private centre,” said Abdul Kadir, the secretary of the Paschim Banga Sarkari Karmachari Samity (public vehicles department unit). The taxi owners and drivers’ associations had moved the high court on March 30, challenging the transport department’s decision to make it mandatory to get taxi meters checked by a private agency twice a year against a fee.

The single-judge bench of Justice J. Biswas refused to stay the notification.

Taxis registered with the five transport authorities thus have to get their meters tested at Bhagwandas Vehicle Testing Services at Salt Lake stadium.

According to sources, the taxi drivers were afraid of being exposed for tampering meters and the unions did not want to lose out on the bribe of Rs 120 per taxi for allowing their meters to be tampered with.

The union at Beltala plans to continue with its agitation against privatisation of meter testing.

“How can the government outsource the work? The transport department could easily have installed the testing machines here. Why did it need to involve a private party? It seems there’s a nexus between the politicians and traders,” said Sujit Dasgupta, the general secretary of the Paschim Banga Sarkari Karmachari Samity.