Passengers travelling in and out of the state are neither asked to produce any identity card nor are their luggage checked. This exposes a major security lapse on the part of transport department.
“All you need to go in and out of the state is money. We only want your name, mobile number and a few hundred rupees,” said Shahabaz Ashrafi of a private travel agency.According to the latest statistics provided by the Road Transport Office, there are as many as 429 buses in the city that have permanent interstate permit. Each of these buses is at least a 30-seater/ sleeper. This translates to hundreds of passengers who come to Chhattisgarh everyday from its neighbouring states.
Any criminal, Naxal or even terrorist can easily smuggle explosives into the state hidden in his luggage. Unlike the Indian Railways where one needs to carry their identity card during the time of travel, state road transport department seems to be inviting major problems owing to their reckless approach.When contacted, transport commissioner NK Aswal said, “We conduct surprise checks from time to time. I will soon look into the matter and launch a drive.”
However, private buses agency in States like Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh etc ask for identity proof of the passenger as a security measure. This increases filtration and minimises risks.Around 170 buses registered with RTO, Raipur have permits to ply to Jharkhand. It may be noted that Jharkhand, too, is a Naxal-affected state and negligence on the part of transport department can result in untoward incidents.
In addition to these 170 buses, dozens of buses have acquired interstate permits from the Jharkhand transport department too. There are 91 buses legally plying to various parts of Madhya Pradesh, 90 to Odisha, 30 to Maharashtra and 20 to Andhra Pradesh.Besides this, more than two dozens of buses also ply to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar from the State.Aswal also said that this is a serious issue and strict instructions must be given to the travel agencies to look into these aspects concerning security.