Amarinder moots open door bus permit policy

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has mooted an open-door policy for bus permits, except on national highway routes, while directing the state transport department to allocate certain bus routes for youths in order to facilitate employment generation.
The move is aimed at breaking the existing monopoly in the transport system wherein the Badal family has the largest share of luxury buses.
Chairing a preliminary meeting of the transport department to draft the new transport policy, the chief minister directed the officials concerned to explore the modalities for inter-state route rationalisation.
"It was decided at the meeting to go for e-tendering on lucrative routes to make the business more viable and profitable while providing a level-playing field to all players," an official spokesman said.

The draft policy will be put before the state Cabinet for approval soon, he said.
The policy is being drafted after taking views of private bus operators, mini bus operators, officers from the State Transport Undertakings (STUs) and the Road Transport Authority, and unions of the STU Staff, the spokesman said.

In another step to eliminate the transport mafia, Amarinder suggested permits to have registration numbers of buses mentioned thereon for plying.
The chief minister also asked the department to work out the modalities of allowing transfer of permits after charging a fee.
Underlining his government's commitment to provide employment to youths, Amarinder suggested measures to augment the intra-city transport system by introducing permits for small/mini buses to youths under the 'Yaari Enterprise' and 'Apni Gaddi Apna Rozgar' schemes proposed in the Congress manifesto during the state polls.

The meeting also discussed the issue of disparity in taxes being levied on luxury and non-luxury business.