[sustran] All’s not well with Shillong Public Transport Service (SPTS)

[Vinay Baindur]

http://www.theshillongtimes.com/2013/05/20/alls-not-well-with-spts/


*All’s not well with State Public Transport Service (SPTS)*


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All’s not well with SPTS

MAY 20TH, 2013

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By Our Reporter


The SPTS buses parked at the parking lot in Mawpat. (ST)

 SHILLONG: Despite the claim of the Principal Secretary Urban Affairs
Prashant Naik that the Centre has appreciated the State for the successful
implementation of SPTS buses, the ground reality seems to be quite
different.

A group of journalists from the city, including the scribe of this daily
observed in the past one week that many of the buses which are allotted to
the self help groups (SHGs) like Mawpat based Synroplang, Mawlai based
Pioneer Transport and Service Organisation (PISO) are not plying on the
roads but lay unused in the parking lots at Mawpat and Mawlai.

A visit to the parking lot at Mawpat revealed that around 18-20 SPTS buses
allotted to Synroplang remained parked in the area throughout the day even
as another 5-6 buses remained stationed along the roadside in the vicinity.

Around 10-15 buses were parked all day long at the parking lot behind the
Mawlai Mawroh community hall where the PISO keeps the buses allotted to it.

Some of the buses were also found to be in bad shape.

It may be mentioned that on February 11 last, The Shillong Times had
carried a similar a similar report on around 25-30 buses lying unused at
the parking lot in Mawpat.

The Government had handed over the buses to SHGs for providing better
services to the commuters and senior officials of the Urban Affairs
department had also backed the decision throughout.

However, despite the claim of the officials that the SHGs would provide
better services than the

Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC), the reality is that the STPS buses
are in near shamble state since the SHGs took over.

The MTC had handed over the buses to MUDA after the expiry of the one year
contract in February last.

The group of journalists who travelled in few of the STPS buses found that
the conductors are no longer issuing tickets to the commuters.

When inquired, the conductors informed that they do not have the machines
for issuing the tickets.

Sources alleged that though MTC lost out due to its poor track record,
handing over the buses to the SHGs seems to be a bigger blunder considering
the fact that the buses were handed over without calling for a tender.

Sources also revealed that the MUDA till date has not called for any fresh
tender to operate the buses handed over by the MTC.

Sources also informed that the SHGs are not operating all the STPS buses
since the operating cost of the vehicles is high considering the returns.

“The decision not to put all the buses in operation defeats the very
purpose of the Union Government to come up with the scheme. The Centre has
initiated the project to provide the commuters with affordable means of
transportation,” sources said while adding that the SHGs have been given
the buses for a minimum security deposit.

According to sources, the top priority of the SHGs should see that the
common commuters should not suffer.