GB Nagar transport department to engage 400 buses for LS poll duty

Gautam Budh Nagar to deploy 400 buses for Lok Sabha election duties, ensuring fit buses & valid driver licenses as per government guidelines.

NOIDA: The Gautam Budh Nagar transport department will engage as many as 400 buses during the upcoming Lok Sabha election duties to ferry staff, a transport department officer said on Friday.

The bus owners have been told to ensure the buses are fit for plying and also ensure that the headlights, tail lights, indicators, horns, wipers, etc. are functioning properly. (Burhaan Kinu/HT Photo)

“A meeting was held with concerned departments over ferrying staff for upcoming election duties. We have planned to engage around 400 buses, said Siyaram Verma, assistant regional transport officer (administration), Gautam Budh Nagar.

The government guidelines have mandated that unfit buses should not be used for election duties. Also, only those drivers whose licenses are valid will be engaged in the poll duty.

“The bus owners have been told to ensure the buses are fit for plying and also ensure that the headlights, tail lights, indicators, horns, wipers, etc. are functioning properly,” the officer said.

Lakko Venkateshwarlu, principal secretary, Uttar Pradesh, also issued a letter stating the revised rate list for vehicles engaged in the election duties in the Lok Sabha election.

“The rate will be ₹4 per km for 37-seater bus, ₹5 per km for a 23-36 seater bus, and ₹6 per km for 13-22 seater bus,” the letter said, adding: “For heavy vehicles, ₹3 per km for vehicle weighing 28,000 kg, ₹4 per km for vehicle between 12,000 to 28,000kg, ₹5 per km for 7,500 to 12,000kg, ₹7 per km for 3,000 to 7,500kg and ₹10 per km for vehicles up to 3,000kg.”

A delegation of the Noida Bus Association (NBA) had met the transport department last month and submitted an application demanding a revision of the fee for buses engaged in upcoming election duty.

According to Anil Dixit, general secretary of the NBA, ₹1,630 per day is sanctioned for a bus engagement in election duty.

“However, the expenses are six times higher, which include taxes, insurance, the salaries of drivers and helpers, fuel costs, maintenance, etc.,” he said.

Meanwhile, ARTO Verma said that the application was forwarded to Lucknow but they have not received any update in this regard yet.

Gautam Budh Nagar has nearly 18.32 lakh (1.83 million) voters – 7.61 (761,000) lakh in Noida, 7.04 lakh (704,000) in Dadri and 3.67 lakh (367,000) in Jewar constituency – who will cast their votes in this election.