Vigilance Bureau conducts surprise checks for illegal plying of buses

(Buses found without valid route permits or fake number plates)

(Some non AC buses plying on permits meant for AC buses)

(VB affirms periodic surprise checks in future)

Chandigarh

 With a view to check illegal plying of buses by private bus operators, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau today conducted surprise checks all over the State in assistance with the local police and transport department from the wee hours till late night and found that out of total checked 1715 buses as many as 454 buses were without valid route permits, registration certificates, driving licenses of drivers, road tax documents and even have fake number plates and other irregularities.

">Disclosing this here today Punjab Vigilance Bureau Chief Director Mr B.K. Uppal said that illegal plying of private buses was a chronic problem for the state undertakings. "Taking a serious note on this, Chief Minister Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered the Bureau to enquire into the matter and take firm action against the defaulters. On the instructions of CM Punjab, the Bureau has formed special teams and conducted surprise checks of all passenger buses to check evasion of tax and other irregularities", he added.

He informed that special teams comprising of personnel from Vigilance Bureau and assisted by the local police and transport department has started special checking of passenger buses in all districts of the Punjab State in the early morning till late night. He added that this checking was meant for detecting tax evasion and irregularities being committed by certain private bus operators for their personal gain while causing huge financial loss to the State exchequer.

Giving details of irregularities found during the surprise checks, Mr Uppal informed that out of 1715 buses as many as 1261 buses were found plying with valid documents in all respects. "In some cases the drivers were carrying photocopies of route permits whereas it was mandatory to carry original copies of route permits. Many private buses were not running as per the fixed time table and even some buses were using fake number plates or number plates of other buses having valid route permits", he added.

">He told that the registration number was required to be displayed on the route permit of the bus plying on that particular route but it has been found that registration numbers of all the buses belonging to a particular company were usually mentioned on the slip with the attestation of Secretary Regional Transport Authority. "It is evidently clear that many buses are being plied on a single route permit", he added.

Vigilance Chief wondered that some non AC buses were being plied on the route permits of AC buses causing loss to tax authorities in the State. Besides this, many buses have been found plying on the routes which were not permitted to them. He pointed out that during surprise checks it was found that some elite buses plying on tourist permits were not supposed to pickup passengers on the permitted way but some operators from the State or from other States deviating from this condition were taking passengers on the way like other ordinary local buses thereby causing huge loss to public transport system.

Mr Uppal informed that private buses found without valid documents have been either challaned by the local police or have been got impounded by the transport department. He asserted that Vigilance Bureau is fully determined to end this menace and for this purpose such periodic surprise checks would be conducted in future also.