Pune: State transport minister Pratap Sarnaik said in the assembly on Tuesday that the department has created a plan to suspend or cancel permits of private bus operators flouting rules and creating traffic snarls in major cities, while flying squads would crack down on touts creating nuisance near MSRTC bus stands.The minister was responding to questions raised by Pune district’s BJP MLAs Shankar Jagtap and Siddharth Shirole on the second day of the monsoon session of the assembly on Tuesday.Chinchwad MLA Jagtap raised the issue of private bus operators indulging in unauthorised activities. He said, “They illegally courier packages across the state. They halt at undesignated stops and collect parcels to ferry it to other destinations. Further, they also create traffic snarls by stopping randomly on the roads. Cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Nagpur face massive traffic issues due to these operators.”Sarnaik responded to Jagtap’s query. He told the assembly that last year, the department had acted against 5,728 vehicles and collected fines of Rs461.8 lakh. “This year, from April to May, department officials took action against 1,454 vehicles and collected a fine of Rs78.2 lakh,” he said.The transport minister also told the assembly that the department had finalised an action plan wherein if private bus operators were found flouting rules for the first time their permit would be suspended for seven to 10 days, for up to 15 days in the second instance and up to 30 days for the third offence. Beyond that, the permit would stand cancelled.During the same discussion, Shivajinagar MLA Shirole raised the issue of growing nuisance of unauthorised travel touts of private bus operators in and around the premises of MSRTC’s Shivajinagar bus depot. He demanded strict action against such agents causing inconvenience to commuters and the common people. Shirole said vigil should be increased and the MSRTC squads and the city police must take joint action to control them.“The safety and convenience of commuters travelling from Shivajinagar bus terminus is a priority”, Shirole said, adding that he would continue to follow up on the matter until effective and lasting solutions were implemented.Frequent travelers from the Shivajinagar terminus have been raising concerns over the presence of touts and unauthorised agents at the entry and exit points. They said there is no monitoring of the terminus and the administration should deploy staff to keep the agents out.Responding to Shirole’s query, Sarnaik said, “The flying squads have been taking action against the touts, but it will be intensified over the coming days. They will be handed over to the local police for further action if found creating trouble.”
