Roadways to the fore

IN a much-awaited relief to thousands of Punjab’s jet-setting commuters, the Bhagwant Mann government has announced the start of government-run Volvo buses from Chandigarh and main towns of Punjab to the Delhi international airport at half the cost charged by the private transport sector — mainly owned by the Badal family — which has held monopoly on this lucrative route for years. The transport policy, skewed in favour of the select private players in the luxury bus domain, is believed to have cost the state nearly Rs 6,600 crore in over 14 years. Illegal extension of bus permits, monopolisation of bus routes, outdated bus timetables, little opportunities to young aspirants to join the transport business all along the routes in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, besides the Delhi airport, added up to a flourishing mafia ruling the roads as buses and illegal goods-laden trucks got the undue green signal.

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The plying of government buses to the airport is another step aimed at applying brakes on the unfair deal dealt by the ‘transport mafia’ — an unholy politician-official nexus — to Pepsu and Punjab Roadways, reducing these public sector undertakings to loss-making entities. Earlier, the state had said the revenue of the transport department had nearly doubled in May following its drive against private bus operators evading taxes or running vehicles without permits. Now, the judicious mix of public and private vehicles on the road across the region should lead to a healthy competitive market, offering the best prices and facilities to the passengers. Last April, free travel for women in PRTC buses in the state got rolling.

However, the government has a long way to go to ensure that the bus passengers enjoy a smooth ride. Its fleet of buses needs an overhaul; the sector suffers from a scarcity of drivers and conductors, who, to boot, are a disgruntled lot with regard to wages and working hours. Satisfied transport employees hold the key to safe travel. There are miles to be covered before the government can claim to have eclipsed the classic satirical number, ‘Aa gayi Roadways di laari, na koi sheesha, na koi baari…’