Team Herald
PANJIM: The All Goa Private Bus Owners Association (AGPBOA) on Sunday alleged that the government has not cleared the fuel subsidy scheme, insurance scheme and subsidy for replacement of old private buses.
The Association also said that the government is trying to regulate Rent-A-Bike scheme by reducing the number of two-wheelers to 10 per applicant.
Lambasting Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho for committing injustice to private bus operators, AGPBOA general secretary Sudip Tamhankar said that fuel subsidy scheme for private bus operators is pending since 2019 while the insurance scheme was pending for last five years.
Tamhankar said that subsidy under the Goa State subsidy for replacement of old buses scheme is also pending since 2018 as the file regarding subsidy amounting to Rs 8 crore was not cleared by the finance department due to paucity of funds.
Tamhankar opposed government’s move to outsource process of issuing fitness certificates for vehicles by permitting automotive fitness centres in the State. “We will strongly oppose automotive fitness centres as it is an attempt to privatise the process of granting fitness certificates to vehicles,” he said.
Tamhankar said that the government is trying to stop `Rent A Bike’ scheme and a first step toward it the transport department has decided to register only 10 two-wheeler per applicant under the scheme.
Starting that the Centre had given a grant of Rs 300 crore to Goa to celebrate 60 years of liberation, he said that the Association had submitted a representation to the State government to help private bus operators by giving two tyres per private bus but it fell on deaf ears of the government.
