[sustran] Karnataka Government seeks to nationalise bus routes in entire State issues draft notification

Vinay Baindur yanivbin at gmail.com
Mon Jun 13 02:20:46 JST 2016


http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/government-seeks-to-nationalise-bus-routes-in-entire-state/article8719690.ece

[image: Inline image 1]


*Government seeks to nationalise bus routes in entire State*

ANIL KUMAR SASTRY


Valid private bus permits to continue; no new permits to private operators,
says draft notification

Taking a big step in protecting the interests of State road transport
corporations (RTCs), the Karnataka government has decided to nationalise
all bus routes in the State for the exclusive operation of RTCs, while
allowing only “existing, valid and in operation” private bus permits to
continue.

A draft notification issued on Friday by the Transport Department implies
that the KSRTC, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC),
Northwest KRTC and Northeast KRTC can offer services on new routes to the
exclusion of private operators.

It seeks to cancel all the 21 route nationalisation ‘schemes’ of the KSRTC
and bring in only one ‘Karnataka scheme’. A scheme means identification of
routes or a district for the exclusive operation of the KSRTC as provided
by the Motor Vehicles Act. Aggrieved persons can file objections to the
draft notification within 30 days from its publication.

Two reasons appear to have compelled the government to come out with the
new scheme. The T.M. Vijay Bhaskar Committee, appointed by the government
following the Supreme Court direction in December last, has held that 3,225
permits that overlap / intersect with nationalised routes issued to private
operators were illegal. He had recommended cancellation of those permits.
The aggrieved operators have now moved the High Court against this
recommendation. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy told The Hindu that the
proposed Road Transport and Safety Bill 2015, of the Union government, if
enacted, would compel the RTCs to compete with private operators. Since the
RTCs in south India were robust, the governments intended to protect them.
When routes in the entire State were nationalised, there would be no scope
for entry of other operators, he said.

KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation general secretary H.V. Ananthasubba Rao
has welcomed the move. KSRTC Managing Director Rajender Kumar Kataria said
the RTCs were geared to meet any additional demand as they had spare buses.g
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