TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Sympathizing with the State’s current financial situation, private bus operators have urged the government to stop the KTC’s concessional pass scheme, rather than provide per kilometers subsidy to private buses.
The All Goa Private Bus Owners Association (AGPBOA) has also once again rejected the government move of ‘uni-colour’ for all private buses claiming that passengers identify their buses based on colour.
Addressing a press conference, AGPBOA general secretary Sudip Tamhankar said that bus owners welcome transport department proposal of providing subsidy upto Rs 3 per kilometers to private buses.
“However, the current financial position of the State is bleak and in such circumstances the question arises whether government would be in position to bear this additional expenditure or it would be just a proposal,” he said.
AGPBOA suggested that rather than providing subsidy it would be feasible if government suspends KTCL’s concessional pass scheme, the main reason behind the slugging business of private bus operators. The bus operators had claimed a loss of around 60 per cent to their business per day due to KTCL’s pass scheme.
The State Transport department is toying with the idea of providing subsidy up to Rs 3 per kms to private buses as the concessional pass scheme, if implemented, would not play wonders for private buses.
Opposing the common colour proposal, Tamhankar said that government needs to take all bus operators into confidence before implementing the same.
