Lucknow: The State Transport Authority (STA) may grant the state carriage (permanent) permits to private operators to ply buses on the contentious Meerut-Ambala via Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Yamuna Bridge route, in its meeting here on Monday, people dealing with the issue revealed.
“There are around 30 items on the agenda for Monday’s STA meeting but the most important one is about the consideration of the applications received for grant of permits to private buses for the Meerut-Ambala route,” they said.
“The UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) has serious objections to grant of permits to private operators for this route and once it also took the issue to court, getting the move stalled,” they added.
As per the proposal that is to be taken up in the meeting on Monday, the permits are to be issued to the private operators for this entire route, barring between Muzaffarnagar to Yamuna Bridge, the 70 km patch that is the nationalized one where the UPSRTC alone can get stage carriage permits to ply.
“Our contention is that since the 70 km Muzaffarnagar-Yamuna Bridge patch is an intrinsic part of the same route for which the STA proposes to grant permits for private operators, it is natural that private buses will use the entire route, including the 70 km nationalized patch once they get the stage carriage permits,” said a UPSRTC employee union leader preferring anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}“Our contention is that since the 70 km Muzaffarnagar-Yamuna Bridge patch is an intrinsic part of the same route for which the STA proposes to grant permits for private operators, it is natural that private buses will use the entire route, including the 70 km nationalized patch once they get the stage carriage permits,” said a UPSRTC employee union leader preferring anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}“Our hunch is that permits to private operators may be given for more similar routes in the state, especially for 26 prime routes in western UP once the move for the grant of permits for the Meerut-Yamuna Bridge route succeeds,” he said, adding “We will opposed any such bid.”