Bus stolen from PRTC depot

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 21

In a major security lapse at the Bathinda Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT), a person on Friday took away a bus from the PRTC Bathinda depot and after stealing around 200 litres of diesel from it, he abandoned the bus at the grain market in the city and fled.

However, the police recovered the bus and arrested the accused. The incident has exposed the loose security arrangements at one of the busiest ISBTs in the region.

In a complaint lodged with the bus stand police post, PRTC bus driver Mandeep Singh said he worked as a driver and drove a bus (PB 11 CF 9521), which is running under the kilometer scheme with the PRTC Bathinda depot. He said on December 19, after doing his route, he parked the bus at the PRTC depot in Bathinda and left for his home. He found the bus missing from the depot when he came to take it the next morning.

PRTC officials and the police were informed of the missing of the bus. The police started searching the bus and found it abandoned at the grain market in the city. The police also found around 200 litres of diesel stolen from the bus.

The police claimed that when the matter was probed, it turned out that the accused, Sukhjeet Singh of Sivian village, had stolen the bus. It is learnt that the accused is also an employee under the PRTC’s km scheme and he was having a dispute with the bus contractor, so he stole the bus.

A PRTC official claims that they have directed to boost the security arrangements at the bus stand. Meanwhile, they are also questioning the security guards about the incident. It is also stated to get the main gate of bus stand repaired and keep it closed during night and even deployment of security guard there.

It is pertinent to mention that earlier as well many incidents of theft have been reported from the bus stand, but the authorities do not seem to have learnt any lesson till now.

Earlier, an LED was also stolen from a private bus parked at the bus stand. Besides, a number of pick-pocketing cases have also been registered at the bus stand police station, but it seems no step has been taken to curb criminal activities. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras have not been installed at proper places.

A majority of private bus operators allege that their buses are not safe at night despite paying all charges to the authorities concerned. Bus operators rue that they pay between Rs 35 and Rs 55 for parking buses at the bus stand at night. Besides, they also have to pay Rs 30 when their buses leave the bus stand.

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