Bus owners demand review of 50% bus concession
PTI, PANAJI | 11 April 2011 13:00 IST
Sudip Tamankar
The private bus owners lobby today demanded that the fifty per cent concession granted to the students in Goa should be reviewed with certain riders, to curb its misuse.
The bus owners, who will be striking from April 12, indefinitely fasting before Director of Transport’s office in the city, has said that several bogus Identity Cards have cropped up crippling their ticket collections.
“We have found that many youths carry bogus Identity cards claiming themselves as students availing the 50 per cent concession in the ticket rates,” Sudip Tamankar, General secretary, All Goa Bus Owners Association (AGBOA) told reporters here.
He said that the scheme should be reviewed and concession should be granted only on the school routes and during day time. “Either state government should stamp those identity cards or AGBOA should be given the right to certify them as genuine,” Tamankar said.
Goa government has allowed 50 per cent concession in ticket to the students in 1978 after massive agitation by the students’ union in the state.
Tamankar said that they had also taken up the issue with the state Education department but of no avail. He said that the bus owners have no issues in giving concession to the genuine students on the school or college routes but the misuse of the scheme should be banned.
GBOA has decided to hold indefinite hunger strike in the city from tomorrow onwards, which will convert into a major agitation from April
15 onwards when they will pull out their buses from the routes, indefinitely. The hunger strike will continue along with the bus strike, he added.
Tamankar stated that they have several demands, which are well-discussed and put up before the Transport department, since last one year.
“The department is riddled with the corruption. The money has to be paid for everything there,” the bus owner said appealing those who rallied behind Anna Hazare to stand behind them in curbing the corruption.
He said that they have attempted to break ice with the transport department officials and strike a dialogue. “But they are not interested. We demand that transport director Arun Desai and two Assistant Directors who look after Enforcement in both the district should be shunted from their current posting,” Tamankar said.
The bus operators also alleged that there are different set of rules that are made applicable by Road Transport Authorities (RTA) in the state. While one RTA says that the life of the buses is five years, others say its 15 years, he said.
Yes, i am agree with mr sudip because some people who are doing jobs also say that they are student and they stand to fight with conductor so govt should decision obout this situation