Bus panel complains to Vigilance against Transport official
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, FEB 8
In a complaint before the State Vigilance Department, a senior Transport Department official has been accused of giving state permits to tourist buses.
All Goa Private Bus Owners Association General Secretary Sudip Tamankar in a complaint before Vigilance Department has accused Assistant Director of Transport (ADT) and member secretary of RTA, South Goa, Prakash Azavedo, of giving permits to tourist buses as stage carriage buses.
Tamankar’s complaint reads, “Two buses bearing registration numbers GA-01/T-3417 and GA-02/T-4303 with regular sight-seeing (tourist) permits are plying as stage carriage buses harassing regular operators.” In the complaint, the route reads as Margao.
The AGPBOA General Secretary said when asked Azavedo replied the two buses were being plied as “relief” buses.
Tamankar alleged Azavedo had misguided the RTA members during a meeting held on July 3, 2009. “He has bypassed the Motor Vehicles Act to give permission to the buses to ply as relief vehicles,” he accused further.
He explained, “The ADT has illegally and with the intentions of material gains placed the matter before RTA and bypassed the MV Act,” the complaint adds.
Tamankar asserts as per MV Act, a bus operator having minimum ten buses plus one spare bus is termed as a fleet operator, who can request the RTO for grant of permission for plying a relief bus.
The Vigilance Department has been asked to register a First Information Report (FIR) against Azavedo under Sections 420 and 409 of IPC.
