KTC caters to just 5% of commuters: report
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, APRIL 1
Despite having three exclusive routes and 300-odd buses to reckon with, the Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) caters to just five percent of the commuters, a report says.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report says that KTC’s share in the passenger transport operations in the state is five percent only and the remaining 95 percent is accounted for private buses.
The state owned corporation has exclusive operational rights on three nationalized routes connecting cities of Panjim, Vasco and Margao, where private buses are restrained from operating.
“78 percent of its routes were unprofitable due to high cost of operations and non-reimbursement of cost of free/concessional passes/social obligatory trips by the government, amounting to Rs 17.88 crores,” the report says.
As per the CAG report the corporation is marred with uneconomical routes which have dented the finances.
“The corporation has not formed norms for providing services on uneconomical schedules. Thus it would be desirable to have an independent regulatory body to fix the fares, specific operations on uneconomical routes and address grievances of commuters,” CAG recommended.
The CAG has also recommended that they should finalise number of routes only after considering the fleet strength.
KTCL has a fleet of 390 buses and carries on an average of 77,000 passengers per day.
Of these 390 buses, more then 42 percent of buses are overage buses, which are more than eight years old and are yet to be replaced with the new one due to financial crunch.
Recently, All Goa Private Bus Owners Association in a memorandum submitted to Transport Minister Sudin Dhavlikar has asked to issue permits par with Kadamba on all the three nationalised routes as KTCL has failed in providing proper service to the commuters.
“The information opted under Right to Information (RTI) act reveals that prior to nationalisation of these routes there were total 122 private buses which were running on the said routes whereas after nationalisation KTC is playing only 70 buses,” AGBOA General Secretary Sudip Tamankar said.
