Punjab Congress MLA Avtar Junior alleges corruption in driving test process

Congress MLA Avtar Singh Junior has alleged widespread corruption within Punjab's driving test system, claiming that officials are accepting illegal gratification in exchange for clearing driving tests. The issue came to light after a high pass rate—over 94%—in Hoshiarpur, Phillaur, and Jalandhar came under scrutiny during the Punjab Assembly session on Thursday.

At the national level, the average pass percentage for driving tests stands at 65%.

The figures for those who cleared the driving test between September 2024 and February 2025 were presented by Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar in the Assembly.

Referring to the data, Avtar Singh Junior highlighted that in Hoshiarpur, Phillaur, and Jalandhar, the pass percentage ranged between 94% and 100%. He questioned the AAP government's “zero tolerance” stance on corruption and alleged that applicants seeking a driving licence without taking the actual test are paying bribes amounting to Rs 15,000 to officials.

The Congress MLA called for a thorough investigation into the matter by the Transport Minister, raising concerns about the practice of turning off CCTV cameras during the testing process to facilitate the issuance of driving licences without conducting proper tests.

Dr Kamal Sohi, a road safety expert and member of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) under the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, said that more than seven lakh licences are issued every year using the aging automated driving test tracks in Punjab.

“Obsolete and outdated driving skill testing solutions are being used by the Punjab transport department for conducting driving tests at 32 test tracks, which is resulting in the issuance of driving licences to incompetent, unskilled, and ineligible drivers in Punjab,” he said.

“This is becoming a major cause of road accidents in India,” he added.