Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, May 30: The state government Saturday bowed to the demands of the All Orissa Private Bus Owners’ Association (AOPBOA) of implementing a dynamic fare revision formula, prompting the bus owners’ body to defer a proposed indefinite strike till August 1. The indefinite stir was earlier scheduled for June 5.
The dynamic fare revision system allows private bus owners to increase/reduce bus fares in keeping with fluctuations in diesel prices.
State transport minister Ramesh Majhi informed mediapersons that the fare revision formula would soon be enforced based on recommendations from the transport department’s technical committee. The government has however stopped short of announcing a deadline for its implementation.
AOPBOA office-bearers Saturday met minister Majhi in the presence of transport and commerce commissioner-cum-secretary Sanjay Rastogi at the Secretariat and held discussions on several issues, including a controversial circular issued by the transport department stating buses that met with accidents would be taken off roads, with their permits and the licenses of its drivers being cancelled.
The association fiercely opposed the circular, the scrapping of which was one of its 15 demands that the association placed before the government. The government has now agreed to ‘modify’ the circular after discussions; only the driver’s license would be cancelled, and not the permit of the bus.
“After the discussion, it was decided that the license of the errant driver will be cancelled, and no action will be taken against the owners if their vehicles meet with an accident,” said AOPBOA secretary Debendra Sahoo. The association earlier warned that over 15,000 private buses would go off roads if their 15-point charter of demands was not met by the government by June 4.
The contentious issue of implementing the dynamic fare revision mechanism has come as a relief for the association which has been demanding it citing examples of Maharashtra and Kerala which have implemented similar systems. Sahoo said bus fares were not revised by the government despite diesel prices going up by `6.93 a litre in the last three months.
“The government has agreed to implement the fare formula within a week. Once it is enforced, fares can be increased/slashed within a day of diesel price hike/decrease in the state, for which a notification would be issued by the transport commissioner,” Sahoo said. According to a press release from the state transport and commerce department, bus stands across the state — particularly at Bhubaneswar and Cuttack – would be spruced up for the Nabakalebara festival and funds would be released accordingly.
“We have also demanded shifting of two liquor shops near Baramunda bus stand, and the setting up of a police outpost for the safety of passengers, to which they have agreed in principle,” the association secretary added.
Sources said the government has also postponed the decision of installing GPS devices and CCTV cameras on all types of buses plying in Orissa.
The AOPBOA secretary said the association wants state-run Orissa State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) to operate all city buses run by private operators like Dream Team Shahara in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri and surrounding towns.
