Punjab Government’s 'kilometre scheme' fails to get response

Tribune News Service

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, January 8

The Punjab Government’s plan to operate over 200 new buses in the state has failed to take off. Only two persons have evinced interest in operating the buses, though the government has floated tenders twice.

The state-run Pepsu Roadways Transport Corporation (PRTC) had decided to operate buses on 219 routes, under the kilometre scheme, and its tenders were initially floated in July. However, only two operators evinced interest in operating the buses. As a result, the tender for running 217 buses was again floated in September last year. It found no takers.

About PRTC’s scheme

• A private operator buys a bus and gives it on an initial six-year lease to the Transport Department
• The bus is operated by the state government, with the government conductors being on board, though the driver is employed by the operator
• The owner gets compensated based on the kilometres it runs and the category of the bus

This has caused the state government to analyse the reasons for the lack of interest in the scheme, where buses are to be leased from private parties and operated by the state government. It is learnt that the reason is the free bus rides allowed to women passengers, which has made public transportation in the state economically unviable. The women passengers were allowed free travel on government-run buses by the previous Congress government.

Analysing aspects

We are committed to improving public transport and all necessary steps will be taken toprovide affordable transport to all. The department is analysing various aspects of the scheme not taking off. —Laljit Singh Bhullar, Transport Minister

JS Grewal of Small Scale District Bus Operators’ Association said another reason for the scheme not taking off was a court order banning the use of government permit for running private-owned buses. “The Transport Department will have to find a way to circumvent this. Till this is done, transporters will be wary,” he said.

Rajinder Singh Bajwa, secretary of the Punjab Motor Union (an organisation of passenger road transporters), said operators were wary of running buses under the kilometre scheme, in wake of free travel to women passengers. “A person will spend around Rs 30 lakh to buy a bus and give it on lease. If he is not getting any return on investment, who will opt for it? Also, the buses that are run under the kilometre scheme meet the same fate as the other government-run buses. They get to operate on the lucrative routes, but they will get off-peak time table, wherein very few passengers will be there,” he added.

It may be mentioned that even the Punjab Roadways PRTC Contract Workers’ Union has opposed the move to start these buses under kilometre scheme. Harkesh Kumar, senior vice president of the union, said the union had already warned the government against running the buses under the kilometre scheme. “We have warned that no conductors will be do duty on these buses, which will make it difficult for the government to operate these,” he said.

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