Srinagar, Feb 21: The enforcement wing of Srinagar Smart City Limited (SSCL), tasked with monitoring its fleet of city buses, has allegedly remained inactive for several months, raising concerns over ticketing irregularities on buses operating across Srinagar and its outskirts.
Officials within SSCL admitted that inspections and surprise checks, once conducted to ensure transparency in fare collection, have not been carried out for a considerable period.
“It has been months since any proper inspection or checking of the buses was conducted,” a senior SSCL official, wishing anonymity, told Rising Kashmir. “The enforcement mechanism is not functioning the way it was intended to.”
The enforcement team was primarily responsible for checking overcharging, issuance of incorrect tickets, and ensuring adherence to fare norms. However, in its absence, several commuters have alleged widespread malpractice by conductors.
Passengers travelling on Smart City buses complained that male commuters, particularly elderly men and students, are often issued tickets meant for female passengers. Under a government scheme, women are allowed to travel free of cost in these buses, with the government reimbursing the department for the free rides.
“Many times, I have seen conductors issuing female tickets to male passengers and still collecting fare from them,” a commuter said. “The ticket shows zero fare or is marked under the women’s category, but the conductor pockets the cash.”
Another student commuter from Srinagar alleged that the practice has become routine. “Since there is no checking, they do it openly. The money does not go into the official records,” she claimed.
Commuters allege that the collected cash goes directly into the pockets of drivers and conductors, as female passengers’ fares are reimbursed by the government. “It’s a double earning. They get government reimbursement and also take money from male passengers under the guise of female tickets.”
Sources within SSCL also revealed that drivers and conductors have not received salaries for the past three months, a factor that may be contributing to the alleged malpractice.
“They are without salaries for three months. While that does not justify wrongdoing, it is certainly creating financial stress among the staff,” an official said.
The official said the corporation had outsourced the supply of personnel for the enforcement team to a private firm based in Srinagar. “We had given the contract for providing enforcement staff to a local private agency. But frankly, they are hardly performing their job. Monitoring has been negligible,” the official said.
