Bus operators flouting norms with RTO support, alleges letter

Controversy in Mumbai as private bus operator alleges buses registered in other states are flouting rules and endangering passengers. Transport department conducting investigation.

Mumbai: A controversy has erupted over buses registered in other states and plying in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) in violation of rules after a private bus operator wrote to chief minister Eknath Shinde on December 26 alleging rampant malpractice. The letter claimed that regional transport offices (RTO) in and around Mumbai were allowing buses registered in other states using questionable documents and/or flouting length and seating norms to ply freely in state, jeopardising the safety and lives of passengers.

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“Often, buses with extra length and more seats or berths than what is permitted in Maharashtra are registered in states like Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, and plied here in Mumbai,” said an RTO official.

The transport department undertook a special drive from December 6-20 to identify and penalise such buses. But sources said that RTOs failed to carry out the necessary action during this period.

The letter too raised this point, stating RTOs must verify the chassis and engine numbers of buses registered in Arunachal Pradesh and other states. It claimed that some operators rebuilt buses after the end of their codal life by increasing their length to accommodate more seats; these buses were subsequently registered in Arunachal Pradesh and other north-eastern states using stolen parts and fake documents and plied on intra- and inter-city routes in Maharashtra.

“I have given the orders to investigate these buses. The RTOs are carrying out a drive. As and when we get information about such buses, we are acting on it,” said Maharashtra transport commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar.

But probing these violations and brining errant operators to book was a challenging task, said officials. “The investigation is complicated and time consuming as we have to check each bus, find its chassis number and using that, obtain its registration number. Then we have to track down the owner,” said Dr Suhas Bavche, deputy commissioner of Mira Bhaindar Vasai Virar police (zone 3).

During the recent drive, the sub-regional transport department in Vasai Virar found 34 illegal buses plying in the area. The city has a large number of private companies, industrial estates and schools, which need buses to ferry workers and students. While the companies and schools usually hire buses from private contractors, transport officials found that several buses were registered in other states and there was mismatch in their engine and chassis numbers.

For example, for one of the buses registered in Himachal Pradesh, the engine and chassis number were different, which made the authorities suspicious. When the concerned bus owner Praveen Raut was unable to provide satisfactory answers, he was booked under sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 466 (forgery of court record), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged document as genuine), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, said senior police inspector from Virar police station, Rajendra Kamble.

Bus operators in MMR said they had been raising these concerns with authorities throughout the past year, but little action was taken. On the other hand, some tourist bus operators argued that all buses registered in other states should not be targeted. They suggested implementing a monthly tax scheme for an economical and hassle-free solution.