The officials of Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) are facing huge hurdles in managing city buses service despite efforts. In spite of floating tender thrice, no bidder has shown interest in operating the city buses here.
Stuck in tender procurement procedure since long, the Municipal Corporation had recently started plying 21 new city buses by hiring drivers on daily wage basis. However due to human resource crisis, the present arrangement is not likely to sustain for long. There are over 96 city buses with RMC covering four routes.
According to the RMC officials, lack of transporters including agencies that runs buses on contractual basis, monopoly of transporters here in capital city including immense dearth of trained professionals to manage city buses operation are the prime reasons that has left city buses operation in a shambles.
When enquired about the status of old city buses and further plan of action to swiftly re-start the city bus facilities yet again to streamline the urban transportation system, the officials appeared clueless.
RMC City Manager (Transportation Cell), Saurav Kumar said, “On temporary basis, a few new city buses have been started. Drivers on per day basis collect city buses from RMC Bus Depot in the morning and by 8:30 PM; they hand over the buses back to RMC. Each driver submits Rs. 601 now before taking the charge of buses each day,”
“All are attempts to rope in a capable transporters have failed as the monopoly of transporters here are strong who wants to acquire the tender at an immeasurably low rate. The Municipal Corporation is firm and will continue to quote the same price as per new 2016 base rate. Until the transporters agree on the minimum premium rate, the city buses service will not be handed over to any individual or else any agency,” Kumar further added.
According to the RMC officers, transporters from outside Jharkhand could be also engaged in for this business. The last date of filing the tender for city buses operation is March 6. Taking into account, the pre-described guidelines of RMC for city buses operation, a minimum premium of Rs125 has been fixed for old city buses (Swaraj Mazda) while for new buses (TATA Motors), Rs400 has been fixed.
As per sources, the norms were changed after 2014. With minimum defined rates of Rs125 and Rs400; retender was done in 2016 to hire an agency for running both old and new city buses involving its cost of maintenance.
“City bus operator who was given the responsibility of managing both 26 new buses and 40 old buses, Suresh Singh had quoted Rs451 and Rs201 price respectively for getting the charge of city buses operation in 2016. At present, transporters want to take the charge of buses at a low cost which will be the sheer negligence of rules. The Civic Body cannot hand over the buses at a low cost for operation as it will ultimately incur heavy loss in future,” said the City Manager.
Meanwhile, if the officials of RMC are to be believed, in merely 20 days, around Rs1 lakh revenue has been generated from city buses operation independently without any support.