Bus owners : Transport policy or cease permits to taxis
Revision of bus fares mooted
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 22 2011:
Setting August 20 as the deadline for the State Government to come out with a transport policy of the State, All Manipur Bus Owners' Association has demanded that until such a policy is put in place, the Transport Department should stop issuing permits to Auto-rickshaws, Tata Magics and Wingers so as not to create misunderstanding between the contract carrier permit vehicles and stage carrier permit vehicles.
The Association has also demanded that the bus fare being charged currently should be revised in the light of rising prices of fuel, spare parts and lubricants.
Addressing a press conference in this connection at its Keishampat bus parking office here today, Association secretary A Priyokumar pointed out that several rounds of meeting have been held in the past at the level of the Minister, Commissioner and Director for finalising and implementation of a State Transport policy.
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In all these meetings, the Minister, the Commissioner as well as the Director had given the assurance of finalising the policy within March, 2010.Now it is the fag end of July, 2011 .
But still, the policy is yet to see the light of day.
Moreover, in all these meetings, the Association had consistently requested the Minister, the Commissioner and the Director not to issue more permits to Autorickshaws, Tata Magic and Wingers until the implementation of a transport policy of the State.
However, the Transport Department has been issuing permits non-stop.
This has created a situation where the stage carrier permit holders may disappear one after another from the roads of Manipur.
Such divide and rule policy of giving more and more permits to Autorickshaws, Tata Wingers and Magics, specially in Pallel area, should be stopped at once, Priyokumar demanded.
He further demanded that the current bus fare should be revised taking into account of the increase in price of fuel, spare parts, lubricants apart from hike in the rate of tax and insurance.
Priyokumar pointed out that the bus fare currently being charged from the passengers is on the basis of the notification issued by the Transport Department in 2008 .
At that time, the price of diesel was only Rs 33.35 per litre.
Now the price has been increased to Rs 41.13.With the price of fuel, spare parts and lubricant ever increasing without any hope of remedial measures from the side of the Government, the number of buses affiliated to the Association has also come down over the years.
Earlier, the Association used to have around 1700 to 1800 buses.
But today, there are hardly 1000 buses in service under the Association, he lamented.