Uttarakhand shoots off letter to Chandigarh, says its buses being targeted

On July 8, the Chandigarh state transport authority had issued two challans worth ₹25,000 and ₹10,000 to two Uttarakhand buses for missing documents

The Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC) has taken exception to the challans issued to its two buses by the Chandigarh state transport authority (STA) in the recent past.

Following a checking at the Sector-17 ISBT on July 8, the Chandigarh STA had imposed a fine of ₹25,000 on the driver of this bus from Uttarakhand’s Kathgadom Bus Depot for multiple violations. (HT Photo)

Shooting off a letter to the Chandigarh STA, the Uttarakhand transport department has complained that the state’s buses are being targeted unnecessarily in Chandigarh that has damaged its reputation.

Around 35 buses from Uttarakhand ply daily to the ISBTs in Chandigarh’s Sectors 17 and 43.

Following a checking at the Sector-17 ISBT on July 8, the Chandigarh STA had imposed a fine of ₹25,000 on a driver from Uttarakhand’s Kathgadom Bus Depot for multiple violations.

The STA officials had found that the bus driver was travelling on an inter-state route without a permit, driving licence or registration certificate. The bus also didn’t have any insurance or pollution certificate and its driver was neither wearing the mandatory uniform nor a name badge.

The same day, STA had issued another challan of ₹10,000 to a UTC driver for not having a countersign, a document issued by the state where the buses are entering. Apart from the challan, STA officials had taken the bus driver’s licence and asked him to produce all original papers on July 15.

While clarifying about the ₹25,000 challan, Deepak Jain, general manager of the Uttarakhand transport department, in the letter stated that the bus had been wrongly challaned, as the driver had a valid driving licence and permit, and as far as the insurance was concerned, it had been waived in Uttarakhand.

Jain further wrote, “The Uttarakhand transport department has also applied for the countersign document and the matter has been pending with the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking for the past two months. We have also applied for permits before the Chandigarh STA. However, the NOC has not been issued.”

Detailing action initiated against more Uttarakhand buses, drivers and conductors, Jain wrote that buses of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and many other states were being operated in Chandigarh, but no such action was initiated against the buses of other states, while Uttarakhand buses were being targeted, which had dented the image of the Uttarakhand transport department.

“We demand that such action should not be initiated in the future and drivers and conductors of Uttarkhand buses should not be harassed,” Jain said.

Chandigarh STA officer Amit Kumar said, “I have not read the letter, but it is wrong to say that Uttarakhand buses are being targeted. We challan all buses, which violate rules. We want the safety of passengers and will not compromise with it at any cost.”