Sounding worried over the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation incurring huge losses for years on end, the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat asked the transport department officials on Tuesday about the steps they have taken to arrest the spiralling losses.
Besides, he gave a dressing down to the state social welfare department officials as the latter failed to provide details for the past four years regarding disbursement of scholarships being given to several categories of students. He asked them to be more serious and accountable while reminding them that they are dealing with the public money meant to facilitate the students to continue with their studies. Besides, he asked them to provide the details to the chief minister’s office in the next 24 hours. Giving the students the scholarships they are entitled to in time is not just fulfilling the social responsibility but the administrative accountability, he said in a very harsh tone. He also asked them to see to it that the funds meant for students’ scholarship is not misappropriated in any way.
CM asked the transport department officials to keep a tab on the money being spent on fuel and motor parts. Besides, he directed them to come down heavily on the operation of unauthorised buses and also to operate state buses along the char dham pilgrimage routes.
He expressed concern over the huge number of the medically unfit department employees. Citing that there are around 300 such employees in the department, he asked the officials to immediately constitute a medical board and to send such employees for medical examination. This aside, he asked the state transport minister Yashpal Arya to meet the transport union members once in every quarter and to address their genuine grievances. “No one should be left out as far as the development of the state is concerned,” CM stressed.
While dwelling on the recurring losses being incurred by the State transport department, CM said that the amount of loss has reached a staggering Rs 244 crore for Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC) over a decade and half since the state came up. “Although the amount of the per annum loss has been reduced this year as compared to last year things are still depressing. UTC spends Rs 15 crore on fuel and Rs 2.4 crore on replacement of tyres and spare parts per month while its income is mere Rs 4.8 crore per month,” he said. He further said that though 77,000 persons have been penalised for flouting the rules till April this year the number of challans slapped is a mere 7646.
Other steps which he proposed for a better functioning of the department included installation of CCTVs in the state-run buses and launching an online booking system through installation of swap machines under a pilot project. He also asked the officers to stop the travellers inclined to travel sans tickets.
While stressing on providing adequate number of buses plying on the Char Dham routes, CM said that training would be imparted to the drivers and the helpers on how to behave properly with the pilgrims. “This is a must if the pilgrims are to be inspired to come again and again aside from reporting warmly to others who would embark on the pilgrimage in future,” CM said.
He also asked the social welfare department officials to organise pension camps in the remote areas of the state. The bank and the health department officials must be roped in, he stressed. He also laid thrust on the process of linking pension account with Aadhar numbers being expedited through conducting special drives. “You must see to it that the genuine beneficiaries receive their pensions in time,” he said while warning them against indulging in apathy. The meeting revealed that the state government disburses Rs 800 crore on the count of pension and the number of beneficiaries is around 6.66 lakh.