Cong, Akali stakes: Govt takes foot off the pedal

Chandigarh : Congress and Akali leaders’ stakes in the transport business are apparently restricting the state government from taking a tough stand on the cancellation of about 5,000 illegal route extensions granted prior to 2011.
Cancelling these extensions against 1,400 permits/licences in the wake of the Punjab and Haryana High Court order would mean stalling the operations of transport companies run by top politicians. These companies’ buses are plying on the monopoly routes, including national highways.
A review of the permits/licences issued since 1997 has revealed that a majority of the illegal route extensions had been okayed prior to 2011. It was in December 2011 that the then SAD-BJP government had tweaked the original scheme formulated in August 1990 to legalise these operations.Jasbir Singh Grewal, general secretary of the Punjab Small-Scale District Bus Operator Association, said, “The CM should talk to all bus operators’ associations so that a level playing field can be ensured in the transport business. Musclemen of private operators are still making their presence felt. A transparent time table should be prepared to end all illegal route extensions.”
While the Advocate General (AG) is vetting the new transport policy, there is no word so far on the cancellation of the illegal route extensions. “The extensions struck down by the High Court should not be linked with the transport policy,” an official said. The policy is likely to be tabled before the Cabinet during its meeting on May 30.