The Congress-led Government in Punjab is gearing up to leave behind the Badals on way to popularity by introducing 600 new buses. The Government also plans to take Punjab ahead on the wheels of luxury by rolling out 50 luxury buses.
The decision was taken at a time when the State Government is already working on formulating a transport policy aimed at breaking the existing monopoly in the State transport system.
The State Government, in this direction, has decided to start 50 luxury buses and the rates would be lower as compared to the similar buses being run by the private transporters.
Besides, the buses would be made functional on all the significant routes including Delhi and Bathinda.
It is not unknown that Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal is holding more than 90 per cent shares in private company - Dabwali Transport. Another company Orbit Resort was also substantially owned by his family. His wife and Union Minister Karsimrat Kaur Badal was also a shareholder in Orbit Aviation.
These companies hold the major share of private buses, including luxury, running across the State roads, having a roaring business in the State, causing huge losses to the public sector undertakings.
“Our main focus is to revive the State Government’s transport facility, provide better facilities at affordable rates, and end the private players’ monopoly,” a senior official of the state Transport Department told The Pioneer.
The official said a total of 600 new buses would soon come up on the roads, which includes 50 luxury buses.
“These buses will run on all important routes of Punjab including Delhi, Amritsar. The charges would be considerably lower than the private buses,” said the official, adding that while private buses charge between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,500 for Delhi, we are mulling to keep it as low as Rs 800.
The State transport authorities pointed that the private buses have always been in disputes for the one reason and another. “They function on their own...they are not bound by rules as the Government-run buses are...they don’t have any fix time-table, the designated stops...they are mainly trouble-makers, and sometimes lead to harassment of the commuters,” said the official.
“Chandigarh being the capital city, our main idea is also to provide bus connectivity to the Chandigarh from every district of the State,” added the official.
The official further added that the Government wanted to take out the State transport authorities out of the financial mess and bring it back on track, and stopping private buses from plying on “monopoly routes”, along with taking off-road all the illegal buses running without permits would be the main focus.
Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has already mooted an open-door policy for bus permits, except on the national highway routes, besides rationalising inter-State routes to make them more competitive to reform the beleaguered transport system in the State while freeing it from the monopolistic shackles created by the previous SAD-BJP Government.
In another step to eliminate the transport mafia, he had suggested permits to have registration numbers of buses mentioned thereon for plying. He also suggested that GPS systems should be installed in all buses to ensure their effective tracking in order to prevent misuse of permits, which incidentally was rampant during the previous regime.
Capt Amarinder has already directed the concerned officials to explore the modalities for interstate route rationalisation. The department has decided to go for e-tendering on lucrative routes to make the business more viable and profitable, while providing a level-playing field to all players.
The draft policy, being aligned to the directives and observations of the Supreme Court and the Punjab and Haryana High Court, will be put before the State Cabinet for approval.
The Government claims the policy was being drafted after taking views of private bus operators, mini bus operators, Officers from the STUs, Officers from the Road Transport Authority and Unions of the STU Staff.