[sustran] Maharashtra Govt orders probe into Nagpur Starbus service contract

Vinay Baindur yanivbin at gmail.com
Tue May 17 03:33:45 JST 2016


http://thehitavada.com/Encyc/2016/5/14/Govt-orders-probe-into-Starbus-service-contract.aspx




Govt orders probe into Starbus service contract
Source: The Hitavada      Date: 14 May 2016


*Staff Reporter,*

*Asks NMC to provide details regarding honorarium to be paid to retired
Judge who will be appointed to conduct probe.*

Urban Development Department (UDD) of Maharashtra Government has ordered
probe into contract regarding city bus service signed with M/s Vansh Nimay
Infraprojects Limited (VNIL) and the affairs of the company.



Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) had sought permission of the State
Government to appoint retired Judge of High Court for conducting a probe
into city bus service (popularly known as Starbus) contract with VNIL. In
the general body meeting held last year, Mayor Pravin Datke had assured to
get permission of the State Government for the same. Vikas Thakre, Leader
of Opposition in NMC, had alleged that nothing had happened in the case.
Recently, Thakre had met Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister, requesting him
to order a probe into Starbus service contract.


Following this, UDD has issued orders for ‘scrutiny and probe’ into NMC
agreement with Starbus service operator VNIL, and also for probe into
functioning of VNIL. As per the communication signed by Shashikant Yoge,
Desk Officer, Maharashtra Government, and addressed to Municipal
Commissioner, Nagpur, NMC has been asked to provide details regarding
honorarium and allowances etc to be paid, and facilities to be provided to
the retired Judge of the High Court to be appointed to conduct probe.
Municipal Commissioner has been asked to submit to the Government a clear
report in this regard within two days. According to Vikas Thakre, he had
met the Chief Minister in this regard recently, following which orders for
probe have been issued. It may be mentioned here that Thakre, who is City
President of Congress party, had alleged a ‘scam’ in Starbus operations and
had made several requests to Prithviraj Chavan, the then Chief Minister
during the regime of Congress-NCP Government. However, no enquiry was
ordered by Congress-NCP Government. Raising the issue in several meetings
of NMC, Vikas Thakre had demanded that NMC should register an FIR against
all guilty officers. He had accused NMC of shielding guilty officers from
legal action. Other corporators also had pointed out that Starbus operator
had stopped plying buses on various routes without any information to NMC.
The local body had issued 19 show cause notices and finally termination
order to the Starbus service operator. However, as per the directions of
NMC general body, the operator was asked to continue services till
appointment of the second operator.


Now, though NMC is preparing for appointment of the second operator, there
are several issues like payment of passenger tax, and other charges for
renewal of permit of buses, providing concessions to senior citizens and
students etc.


Transport Committee of NMC, in a meeting held last month, had decided that
the tenders for appointment of second operator for city bus service, Green
Bus, and Integrated Bus Transport Management (IBTM) operator would be
opened in second fortnight of May. The technical bid, commercial bid and
other processes for the tender for second operator for city bus service
(Red Bus) had been completed, Narendra Borkar, Chairman of Transport
Committee of NMC, had told the media. The second operator is expected to
run 237 ‘Red Bus’ including buses received under Jawaharlal Nehru National
Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) and 150 new buses. However, as per the
official information, only 170 of the old buses including those received
under JnNURM are running on roads at present, 67 or so are parked for
various reasons, and three fell to fire.


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