Ahmedabad: A case of alleged negligence involving an electric bus operator-cum-contractor of Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) has surfaced after two separate e-buses were found operating with the same registration number plate on the same route in Meghaninagar.The incident was reported on Sept 18. Both buses displayed the RTO registration number GJ 27 TJ 3550. After the photographs of the two buses went viral, AMTS imposed a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on the contractor-cum-operator.AMTS deploys electric buses across the city and monitors them through GPS using route and registration number data. Operators are paid on a per-kilometre basis according to GPS records. However, two buses with the same registration number, allegedly running on the same route without being flagged by the control room, has raised questions about AMTS’s monitoring system, driver duty allocation and operational oversight.AMTS officials have not yet offered an explanation on the matter.Advocate Atik Saiyed stated: “Crores of rupees of public tax money are spent by AMTS on charging, maintenance, and operation of electric buses. If buses are operated in such an unplanned and haphazard manner, what else can this be called but sheer squandering? The authorities seem to lack the resolve to take strict action against responsible officials or contractors.”Dariapur ward corporator Nirav Bakshi termed the incident a serious lapse and demanded a detailed inquiry, registration of a police complaint against the contractor-cum-operator and initiation of blacklisting proceedings.AMTS deputy transport manager R L Pandey said a Rs 5 lakh penalty had been imposed on the contractor-cum-operator. He added that a notice would be issued and a detailed probe conducted.BOX: Complaint filed after AMTS bus stops razedA citizen has filed a complaint over the demolition of two AMTS bus stops in Thaltej ward. A sheltered AMTS bus stop near Swagat Green Villa on the road from Baghban Party Plot toward Palladium Mall was demolished overnight, allegedly because a builder’s project is coming up at the site. Tin sheets have been placed where the bus stop earlier stood.Commuters at the location are now forced to signal buses from the roadside, but buses allegedly do not stop because the designated stop has been removed. The complaint also states that another bus stop opposite the petrol pump near Aaina Complex has disappeared. A complaint has been submitted to AMTS.
