KOLKATA: Several private bus owners have threatened to withdraw services over a new transport department order requiring public buses to be parked at designated garages and furnishing of the garage registers to get the certificate of fitness (CF).
For commuters, this means trouble as the number of buses on the roads are already insufficient.
While the transport department clarified the order is applicable for newly registered vehicles, owners alleged CFs have been held up pending a clarification order from the government. The move also prompted bus owners to revive an earlier demand that private buses be allowed to park in state bus depots and termini.
According to bus owners affiliated to the Joint Council of Bus Syndicate and the Minibus Operators Coordination Committee, most buses and minibuses plying in Kolkata are parked on roads at night as open spaces that can accommodate an entire route fleet are not available.
“Section 193 (1) of West Bengal Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, clearly says every transport (commercial) vehicle must maintain garage space and must not be garaged on public thoroughfares or public places. The garage place must be mentioned in the permit,” said a transport department official.
The owners insist they cannot continue plying, especially since traffic cops are slapping cases against buses that don’t have CFs in order.
According to Tapan Banerjee, general secretary of the Joint Council of Bus Syndicate, there were several designated bus parking lots in Behala and Bypass three decades ago. Now, almost 95% city routes have no parking lot.
“Parking lots for several routes are located at least 10km-12km away from city limits. We have repeatedly appealed to the government to let us use the parking space in state garages,” said Banerjee.
Swapan Ghosh of Minibus Operators Coordination Committee said, “Over a 100 buses could not get CF in the past two days. If this is for newly registered vehicles, we have appealed that this clarification be communicated to the RTOs soon.”
The order copy said “verification of garage register” will be introduced in the Vahan software with immediate effect and the flow chart for granting CF will include verification of garage register”. The transport department sources told TOI the matter will be resolved in a day or two.
