Bhubaneswar – The Odisha Vehicle Dealer Association has raised serious allegations against the State Transport Authority (STA) for allegedly facilitating a backdoor entry to the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) into the ongoing Mo Yatra Suraksha Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD) project. In a letter addressed to Transport Department Principal Secretary Usha Padhee and Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur, the association flagged potential cartelisation by certain VLTD manufacturers operating behind C-DAC.
Allegations of Cartelisation and Conflict of Interest
The association expressed concern over the involvement of C-DAC in the VLTD project, claiming it violates the guidelines which prohibit the implementation agency or its partners from being directly or indirectly associated with VLTD manufacturers or M2M e-SIM providers.
The key allegation revolves around Gaurav Kaushik, who represented C-DAC in a presentation to the STA. Kaushik is not only a partner in Volty IoT Solutions, an empanelled VLTD manufacturer, but also owns Gps Champ. His close ties with C-DAC official Roopesh Jenu and other related entities such as Fission Labs have raised concerns of conflict of interest and manipulation.
Mo Yatra Suraksha at Risk: Rs 10 Crore Nirbhaya Funds at Stake
The association warned that C-DAC is allegedly trying to replace the existing Mo Yatra Suraksha software with its own solution named Suraksha Mitra. If implemented, this change could lead to complete project disruption. Over 30,000 vehicles are currently integrated with the Mo Yatra Suraksha system, and millions of users rely on the app for real-time vehicle tracking and safety.
With more than ₹10 crore of Nirbhaya funds already invested in the current application, scrapping or altering it would result in massive financial losses and inconvenience to vehicle owners across the state.
Illegal Influence and Syndicate Allegations
The Odisha STA has been successfully running the Mo Yatra Suraksha backend through BSNL for over two years. Currently, over 30 VLTD manufacturers are empanelled, offering vehicle owners diverse and competitive choices. However, the association has alleged that VLTD manufacturers from South India—linked with C-DAC—are lobbying to control or replace Odisha’s existing backend system with their own.
The letter also highlights that in other states like West Bengal, Kerala, and Himachal Pradesh, C-DAC and its partner firms—Mercydas, J-Technologies, Volty—have faced similar allegations of malpractices, exclusionary tactics, and price-fixing.
Impact on Innovation, Competition, and Public Interest
The Odisha Vehicle Dealer Association claims to possess strong evidence of a syndicate or cartel operating behind C-DAC, working to eliminate competition and manipulate prices. If unchecked, such cartelisation could severely undermine innovation, compromise the quality of AIS 140-compliant VLTDs, and negatively affect end consumers by limiting choices and raising prices.
Demand for Transparency and Action
The association has urged the Transport Department to investigate the matter thoroughly and prevent any unauthorized or unethical modifications to the existing system. They emphasized the need to maintain transparency, fair competition, and protect public interest in the ongoing VLTD operations across Odisha.