Bus owners allege favouritism in allocation of routes, want re-look

PANJIM, AUG 10
The state private bus owners want transport department to have a re-look at state’s routes, which have been a bone of contention due to political favours.
All Goa Private Bus Owners Association (AGPBOA), General Secretary Sudip Tamankar said that there are routes which are having umpteen numbers of buses as the political masters favour their supporters with a bus permit.
“There are some routes which run without passengers while in some places buses are overloaded,” Tamankar stated.
Tamankar said that the number of permits depends upon who is the minister in chair and which constituency he represents.
“At times a minister tells deputy director to give a permit without considering its feasibility. And after some days same minister asks to withdraw the permit,” he informed.
Association alleged that not just a transport minister but other ministers too play a major role in granting permits to their well wishers.
The transport department till date has issued 1,600 bus permits across the state, with number increasing every month.
The bus operators’ observation has cleared that there is no space left for more permits as the routes are overloaded with surplus buses.
“The re-survey of all the routes will give a clear picture of how the routes are overloaded and how the timing of each bus clashes with one another,” general secretary said.
Meanwhile, the transport department has welcomed the bus owners’ demand and has said that if the need arises the department will go ahead with the re-survey.
“We don’t have any problem to conduct a re-survey of state routes. However, the operators need to explain the proper reasons for the survey,” transport director Arun Desai told Herald.
Talking about the excess buses on the routes, Desai said that the permits are been issued only after taking public demands into consideration.    
“Large sections of commuters approach us complaining about non-availability of buses in their villages or said routes and hence we have to allow atleast one permit there,” he explained.