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Journalism of Courage
MUMBAI, MARCH 18: In a bid to reduce losses, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) is constituting special teams to step up vigilance on roads to curb illegal passenger transport. The corporation has sought the permission of the state government to take officers from the Regional Transport Office on deputation to head these teams.
According to Ashok Khot, the managing director of the corporation, in absence of legal powers it was becoming difficult for the MSRTC to book offenders. “The corporation is not empowered to arrest touts and private operators, which is why we are seeking the help of the state transport department,” he said.
Khot claimed that nearly two lakh four-wheelers operate in Maharashtra without proper documents, drawing awaypassengers from the state transport buses. “Over 50,000 jeeps earn their owners an average of Rs 500 per day, which means we lose Rs 2.5 crore per day,” he said.
The teams thus formed will seek to put an end to the reign of these four-wheelers. Headed by an Assistant RTO, two officers and eight personnel from the corporation will comprise each team. Khot claimed that six such teams were likely to hit the roads within a few weeks.
According to Chandrakant Vaidya, vice-president of the corporation, private bus operators have been illegally drawing away passengers by parking their vehicles close to the bus depots and railway stations throughout the state. “They have been flouting the law which prohibits operation of private passenger carriers within 20 metres of the bus depots,” he claimed.
Vaidya remarked that a few years ago the corporation had run an experimental drive in western Maharashtra with the RTOs, which earned the corporation an additional income of over Rs 1 crore within 10 days.
Thecorporation, having a fleet of 18,000 buses and a 1.15 lakh strong workforce, has been reeling under huge losses for some time now. The total losses currently stand at Rs 521 crore. “We are not even in a position to pay salaries to our staff in time, which is why we are looking forward to the success of the scheme,” said Vaidya. Khot opined that the scheme, if successful, was likely to net the corporation nearly Rs 800 crore a year, which would go a long way in helping to wipe off the losses.
Nearly eight months ago, the corporation had put forward a similar proposal, which included the corporation, RTO and the police, to the state government. However with the police unable to provide personnel, the proposal was redrafted into the present form.
