PANJIM: The All Goa Private Bus Owners Association has issued a statutory notice to the State government to resolve long pending issues including fuel subsidy and replacement of old buses latest by September 6, failing which they will resort to hunger strike.
In a letter to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, AGPBOA general secretary Sudip Tamankar said that the benefit of the Goa State Fuel Subsidy to Private Stage Carriage
Operators Scheme 2014 was pending from June 2018 to March 31, 2019 while, the renewal of the scheme was pending from April 1, 2019 to till date.
The “Replacement of old bus by new bus” scheme has been stopped by the Department of Transport from 2017, Tamankar said, urging the government to increase its quantum/amount to Rs 10 lakh.
Tamankar further urged the government to renew and disburse the amount of scheme “The Goa State Public Transport Insurance Contribution Scheme, 2014”, which is pending from 2017 and to appoint immediately a full-time officer from Goa Civil Service cadre as the Director of Transport.
The other demands made by Tamankar are permission for side number plates on commercial vehicles in Konkani or Marathi in the State and to arrest the driver on the spot and not to detain the commercial vehicle by Police or RTO, in the cases of drunken drive/driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
He has also requested the government to constitute co-ordination committee immediately between private stage carriage bus operators and officials of Kadamba Transport Corporation Ltd, headed by Director of Transport, among other demands.
Stating that the government authorities were not showing interest in resolving their long pending issues, Tamankar gave ultimatum to solve all the issues on priority before September 6, failing which the affected bus and taxi operators will protestby resorting to hunger strike in front of the Chief Minister’s residence at Pale-Kothambi by taking coconut shell in hands to beg before the peoplevisiting his house for Ganesh Chaturthi festival.