Govt asked to look into violations of bus permit conditions
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, MAY 24
GOACAN has submitted a detailed memorandum to Transport Minister Sudin Dhavalikar demanding that a plan of action is put in place to handle various violations of the bus permit conditions by the bus owners before effecting any hike in the bus fares.
GOACAN pointed out that the Government in the past had got an assurance from the bus owners that during every bus trip, bus drivers would carry a valid driving licence, wear a uniform and badge and that bus conductors would also wear a uniform and badge or name tag. It also got an assurance that on every bus trip the authorised fare table, registration certificate/ permit and bus time table would be displayed so that consumers would be easily able to identify the valid fare chargeable on that particular route, the route the bus is permitted to operate on, the name of the bus owner and the vehicle number and the number of trips it is supposed to ply.
The NGO pointed out that the government also got an assurance from the bus owners that the buses would not be overloaded and the number of standing passengers would not exceed the permissible limit as per the permit conditions for each bus and during every bus trip the passengers would be issued a bus ticket as per the fare paid by them, this would also include tickets issued to students with valid ID cards traveling with a 50% concession.
The memo has also brought to the notice of the Transport Minister that there have been a series of accidents involving buses being driven in a rash and negligent manner which have resulted in serious injuries and even deaths of passengers (men, women & children), that bus timings, routes & number of stops are linked to loading of buses beyond capacity, over speeding & racing to compete so as to grab passengers. Besides diversion of permit buses on unauthorised trips like weddings, picnics & tourist hire and non availability of a bus service on some routes is causing great hardship to the consumers.
GOACAN has categorically stated that there must not be any change in the pattern of blanket 50% concession on bus fares for students in possession of valid Identity Cards which presently covers all routes, working days and holidays.
GOACAN has therefore demanded that all the assurances given by the bus owners related to issues with regards to the situation of the bus, bus drivers, bus conductors, fare table, time table, registration certificate / permit and tickets are all part of the bus permit conditions which have been issued by the State Transport Authority (STA) & Regional Transport Authority (RTA) and as per the Motor Vehicles Act and Rules should be made mandatory and communicated to the bus owners that they will be strictly enforced.
The memorandum has further demanded that a detailed analytical report be prepared on the various bus accidents that have occurred in the last five years so as to pinpoint the causes, to assess the action taken against the guilty and compensation provided to the victims of these accidents.
It has also demanded that a White Paper be prepared on the requirements of buses on various routes in relation to increase in passengers, the frequency and timings, identification of bus stops and proper use and upgradation of the existing bus stands in the jurisdiction of the Village Panchayats and municipal councils.
