GUWAHATI: The Assam transport department has of late adopted a zero-tolerance policy against officers and employees of the department who resort to misconduct or neglect their duties. On Tuesday, Hailakandi district transport officer Apu Mazumdar was placed under suspension for “gross negligence of duty”.
In an order issued to this effect, transport department secretary Adil Khan placed Mazumdar, who left the district headquarters without prior permission from competent authority on June 15, under suspension with immediate effect under Rule 6 (1) (a) of Assam Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1964, pending drawal of departmental proceedings against him.
The then deputy commissioner of Hailakandi, Rohan Kumar Jha reported to the transport authorities that the DTO had left the headquarters for Gurugram, Haryana without prior permission from the district authorities.
Meanwhile, Khan has asked the district authorities to appoint an officer of the rank of assistant commissioner to run the district transport office.
Last Friday, an Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) bus was seized and the driving licence kept for suspension following a complaint filed by a passenger regarding misbehaviour and misconduct of the bus driver on the Adabari-Basistha route of Guwahati.
A case was registered against the driver under Section 182(2) relating to offences like misbehaviour, using abusive language and driving dangerously.
Assam transport minister Parimal Suklabaidya has also made it clear that any employee of the public transport involved in serious misconduct would be dealt with severely as part of its zero tolerance approach.
In another incident, a show-cause notice was served to the divisional superintendent (in-charge), ASTC, Silchar by the managing director of ASTC on the directions of the transport minister following a complaint from a passenger regarding suspension of night super service from Silchar to Guwahati without any valid reason on July 10.
Subsequently, an alternative bus was arranged by ASTC on the instruction of the transport minister.
The ASTC managing director said the sudden decision by the divisional superintendent incharge to suspend the night bus service not only resulted in loss of revenue but also lowered the image of ASTC in the eyes of the general public.
On July 6, just a few weeks after assuming charge as transport minister Parimal Suklabaidya made a sudden visit to the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) headquarters at Paltan Bazar here went through the different sections and enquired about the functioning of the organisation.
Interacting with the managing director, the chief engineer and other senior officials, Suklabaidya enquired about the working of the organisation, the problems confronting it and ways to overcome them.
The minister also suggested ways and means for enhancing revenue collection and making ASTC vibrant and resilient.
Suklabaidya directed the concerned officials to prepare a detailed report on the status of the fleet of ASTC buses and those operating under ASTC and to submit a report at the earliest.
The transport minister also inspected the central workshop of ASTC at Rupnagar here.
Following inspection of the site, Suklabaidya directed the chief engineer (automobile and technical) to submit a detailed report of all damaged buses within a week.
He also instructed the concerned officials of the workshop to initiate steps for repair of the shed and other infrastructure as soon as possible.
Speaking to reporters later, the minister said he had noticed “lack of work culture to an extent” in the corporation, while urging employees to inculcate work culture in order to improve functioning of the organisation in its journey towards becoming a profit-making organisation in a year’s time.
The minister further said that he had, during his sudden visit, found some employees being absent without submitting applications for leave.
“I have asked the managing director of the corporation to take appropriate measures in this regard,” he said.
Suklabaidya had on Monday reviewed the overall functioning of Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) for its rejuvenation.
At a high-level meeting held with the secretary, transport department, vice-chairman, ASTC, managing, ASTC, and other officials, Suklabaidya pitched for uniform deployment of the workforce following detailed discussion on the functioning structure.
Rejuvenation of the corporation figured prominently in the meeting and it was decided to repair some buses instead of going for new purchases, as maintenance will entail lesser money. Emphasis was also laid on creating self-employment opportunities by leasing out old vehicles through spot auctions.
Suklabaidya directed the transport authorities to chalk out a roadmap of the routes where ASTC buses are plying, routes where there is lack of ASTC buses and to explore new economically viable routes to mobilise revenue.
It was decided that a full-fledged e-ticketing software service will be launched in Kamrup (Metro) and Sonitpur by AMTRON as a pilot project on revenue sharing basis on July 21.
The transport minister also directed ASTC to hold a meeting with Guwahati Traffic Police to resolve issues related to bus stoppage, parking, etc in Guwahati and find quick ways and means as to how ASTC buses can carry passengers to the maximum capacity in order to generate more revenue.
The meeting decided that ASTC buses would be inspected regularly by nodal officers in the rank of assistant engineers who will be accountable for proper route maintenance, vigilance, tickets, etc.
Timings of buses across the state will also be monitored and such timings will be shared with the public for their convenience.
It was also decided that JAN buses, which were non-functional following orders from Gauhati High Court that these buses will not be able to run in Guwahati, will now operate on the outskirts of the capital city by ASTC in PPP mode.
The meeting further decided that the lacunae detected by the transport minister during his surprise visit to ISBT would be resolved at the earliest and necessary action would be initiated immediately against the officers and staff accountable for all this.
A report encompassing all the matters discussed in the meeting will be submitted to the minister within seven days.
As it is, the Himanta Biswa Sarma government has acted tough against brokers who were active in the district transport offices across the state
“It has often been alleged by people that they have to bear harassment by brokers in the DTO offices, be it while renewing driving licences or getting duplicate registration certificates. While these middlemen might not be as visible now in the district transport offices as they were before, the services at these offices leave a lot to be desired,” said a vehicle owner.
It may be mentioned that the department had also launched “Operation All Clear” in March this year, in a bid to rein in city buses plying on the roads without requisite documents such as fitness certificates and insurance documents.
“Such drives are appreciated but they need to be sustained besides keeping the strict measures in effect in the long term,” said another vehicle owner.
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