Soon, joint teams to probe illegal passenger transport

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 8

Transport Minister Mool Chand Sharma has directed the department officials to form joint investigation teams of Haryana Roadways general managers and Road Transport Authority (RTA) secretaries for keeping a vigil on private vehicles illegally carrying passengers in the state.

To be deployed on state, national highways

• These teams will be deployed for checking on all national and state highways
• All RTA secretaries will check the vehicles two or three times a week and send its report to the headquarters
• The RTA secretaries have to be present in office regularly and also conduct checks at night

These teams will take action against the drivers having no documents, those not depositing tax regularly and carrying passengers illegally across the state. Sharma was presiding over a review meeting of the Transport Department via videoconferencing here on Tuesday.

The meeting discussed several important issues, including giving report of challans issued or fines imposed by the RTA staff to the headquarters on a daily basis, policy-making with respect to commercial vehicles older than 20 years, checking buses on interstate routes, appropriate functioning of buses, number of dysfunctional buses and auctioning them, e-ticketing status, status of buses under the km scheme, insurance of buses, performance of general managers and deputation of drivers in the RTA offices.

The minister said teams should be constituted for regular inspection of all private vehicles, including buses and maxi cabs, engaged in carrying passengers illegally. These teams should be deployed for checking on all national and state highways. He said all RTA secretaries should check the vehicles at least two or three times a week and send its report to the headquarters. Along with this, he instructed the RTA secretaries to be present in office regularly and also conduct checks at night.

Speaking on the cases of fraud in the name of filling tax that have surfaced near the border areas, he called upon the authorities to take strict action against those who run such kiosks. He suggested that free registration should be done of such kiosks so that they could be checked easily.

He directed the officers to make a time table for buses at the depot level and to ensure its adherence. He also directed to give maximum time to the Haryana Roadways buses so as to ensure that the department doesn't face any loss.

Sharma said a meeting of the department would be convened every month to review the action-taken.

Suitable handling of buses owing to the circumstances arising due to the lockdown was also discussed in the meeting. Sharma was apprised that Rajasthan, UP and Chandigarh had given permission to run buses while approval from states like Delhi, Uttarakhand and HP was yet to be received, which was expected soon.

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