Not for transport dept to decide concessional travel: official

In the wake of a teenage girl allegedly committing suicide for not being able to afford a bus pass, Maharashtra transport department, headed by Shiv Sena leader Diwakar Raote, today said it was not responsible for providing concessional travels to people, including students.
To a question why the state transport department did not waive off or provide subsidy to students in drought affected areas, a transport department official said decision on concessional travels for students, senior citizens, journalists, differently-abled persons are taken by the concerned departments like education, social justice and information and publicity.
"There are 18 departments through which decisions on concessional travel on the state transport buses to different sections of the society are taken. These departments reimburse the bus fare amounts to our ministry," the official said.

The official said the transport department was facing losses of approximately Rs 2,000 crore because of delay in reimbursement of the travel concessions.
"80 per cent arrears are from the school education and social justice departments," the official added.
A 16-year-old daughter of a farmer in drought-hit Latur district of Marathwada allegedly killed herself by consuming pesticide as her debt-pressed parents could not buy her a monthly state transport 'bus pass' to commute to college.
In her suicide note, the girl purportedly said she could no longer suffer the plight of her father and did not want to cast on him the additional burden of her marriage.

The Shiv Sena earlier in the day took potshots at its ruling partner BJP over the incident asking those who feel the ink attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni brought "disrepute to the state, should now answer if this incident has brought repute".