Punjab: Transport dept pays Rs 20 cr tax on non-existent buses

Having route permits for 2,407 buses, the state-run Punjab Roadways is able to run only 1,672 buses on various routes in the state as it is short of 735 buses. However, it is still paying motor vehicle tax to the tune of around Rs 20 crore per year for the non-existent buses.
Sources in the state transport department say the losses are mounting as the department has to pay the motor vehicle tax of Rs 3.03 per kilometre for each bus covering a distance of 240 kilometres having a route permit every day. “We have surrendered some permits, but we are still paying taxes for missing mileage," said a transport department official.
“We may get the required number of buses soon,” said Malwinder Singh Jaggi, managing director of Punbus, a subsidiary of the Punjab Roadways. Punbus takes loans on behalf of the Punjab Roadways to purchase the buses and after repayment of loans, the buses are handed over to the roadways.
In order to cover the losses, a proposal to add 305 new buses to the Punjab Roadways fleet was made about a year ago, but it is yet to take shape. Sources said after the proposal, the transport department approached the Corporation Bank for loans which delayed it for six months. “We then approached Andhra Bank which has sanctioned a loan of `55 crore for five years,” said Jaggi.
The authorities decided to get the bus bodies fabricated by Haryana Roadways Engineering Corporation Limited. The new buses are to be equally distributed among all 18 depots of the Punjab Roadways, he added.
The proposed fleet of 305 new buses also include 10 integral coaches (Volvo/Mercedes) for which the department had invited tenders and buses are expected to arrive by June or July, said sources.
However, the transport department has still not received the first lot of 12 fabricated buses from Haryana Roadways Engineering Corporation Limited despite having placed orders around two months ago on March 27.
The department has also sent a reminder seeking delivery of the remaining 293 buses chassis for fabrication. The cost of one chassis is Rs 10.78 lakh and fabrication will cost another Rs 7.5 lakh, taking the total cost of a single bus to Rs 18.28 lakh.
The Punbus managing director said Haryana Roadways Engineering Corporation Limited was liable to pay penalty for delay in delivery of the buses. So far, no deadline has been fixed for handing over of the fabricated buses to Punbus, he said.
* SHORTAGE OF BUSES
2,407 sanctioned route permits with Punjab Roadways
1,672 roadways buses running on various routes
735 more buses needed
305 new buses to be added in roadways’ fleet
Rs 18.28 lakh cost of a single bus
-
Man killed after boulders hit HRTC bus in Chamba
A man was killed and six others were injured when the Himachal Pradesh Transport Corporation bus they were travelling in was hit by boulders near Sach Pass in Chamba district on Sunday. The bus was on its way from Killar, the administrative headquarters of Pangi valley to Chamba. A Bolero, a pick up jeep and canter were also damaged. Tissa sub-divisional magistrate Girish Sumra said rescue teams were rushed to the spot with two ambulances.
-
Testing ramped up amid uptick in Covid cases in Himachal
There has been an uptick in coronavirus cases amid heavy tourist influx in Himachal Pradesh, prompting health authorities to issue directions to ramp up testing across the hill state. As many as 289 new infections were recorded over the last week, surpassing the Covid count for May (248). The state had 50 active cases in May-end, which has increased to 292.
-
ADGP-led STF to wage war on drugs in Himachal
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday announced that a special task force will be constituted to wage war on drugs in the hill state. The CM announced that 73 posts for police personnel will be created and filled in the excise department for effective implementation of regulatory legislations. He also initiated the process for forming an excise police force.
-
Delhiwale: Twilight in Gurugram
It is possible to travel by staying still. One way to do this is by lingering long at the Jama Masjid in Gurugram's Sadar Bazar. The small edifice isn't close in grandeur to its more famous namesake in Old Delhi. But being here towards the end of the day, as the amber shade of dusk slowly turns into darkness, this enclosed but open space fills the visitor with a sense of journey.
-
Chandigarh police holds kabaddi tournament to mark International Day Against Drugs
On the occasion of International Day Against Drugs, a kabaddi tournament was organised in the North East Division by the police on Sunday. A total of 15 teams from the city participated in the event, which saw around 5,000 people of the area in the attendance. The municipal corporation and the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee have joined hands to check on violations and a special task force will conduct surveys and issue challans to violators.