Coming down heavily on the Maharashtra government for failing to curb operations of illegal private buses and other vehicles ferrying passengers and causing huge losses to MSRTC, the Bombay high court on Tuesday asked the state to initiate disciplinary inquiry against district RTO officers who have failed to take action against such vehicles.
A division bench of Justice Naresh H. Patil and Justice S.B. Shukre, while hearing a PIL, observed that there is gross violation of the law right under the nose of the state machinery which has caused losses to MSRTC. “Each day, MSRTC is losing '20 crore because of private bus operators and vehicles plying passengers from outside ST bus stands and bus stops without the required permit and license,” said the bench.
Earlier too, the court had issued directions to the government to take action against such private bus operators and on Tuesday, when the bench asked the government pleader what action had been taken so far, he said that the state had initiated action. However, the court was not satisfied with the answer as there was no data to support the claim and hence, the judges directed the government to initiate disciplinary inquiry against district RTO officers who have failed to take action against such buses.
The court asked as to why no steps had been taken even after MSRTC submitted information about such operators to the government. The judges asked how the government could knowingly permit this illegality and let MSRTC run into losses. “Tomorrow, the government will say since the MSRTC is into losses, it needs to be shut down,” said the bench. The court admonished the state saying that if it had plans to privatise the transport sector, it should come out with a policy in that regard soon.
The PIL was filed by advocate Datta Mane, alleging that in rural areas, private jeeps and mini buses were operating, thereby eating into the business of MSRTC. Flouting the Motor Vehicles Act, these private illegal operators parked their vehicles near stops earmarked for ST buses.
