India News | Operators Seek Rate of Hiring Buses for Panchayat Polls Increased

Kolkata, Jun 19 (PTI) Private bus owners in West Bengal on Monday called upon the government and the State Election Commission to hike the hiring rate of buses and minibuses and the refreshment allowance of bus employees on poll duty for the July 8 panchayat elections.

The Joint Council of Bus Syndicate (JCBS) said 30,000-32,000 private buses are being requisitioned across West Bengal for the panchayat elections but most operators are not interested in giving their buses on hire as the fare offered is “meagre” in the present market situation.

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The JCBS has called upon the transport department and the SEC to hike the hiring rate of every bus from Rs 2,300 a day to Rs 3,500 and the refreshment allowance of each bus employee from Rs 150 to Rs 300 from the date of reporting till the poll duty is over.

"A bus is used for either ferrying poll personnel to a particular booth from the designated centre or to transport security personnel. While there is route insurance for a bus plying on its scheduled path every day, if a vehicle is damaged during violence during elections, there is no such insurance cover,” JCBS General Secretary Tapan Banerjee told PTI.

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“So our staff is jittery about going on election duty and we have to coax them. If there is no higher monetary incentive, why will they be interested?" he asked.

Banerjee claimed that bus owners have been drawing the attention of the transport department about this issue for quite some time but the state has not responded.

"As citizens of the country, we are duty bound to respond positively if our vehicle is requisitioned by the administration, but the transport industry is in a comatose situation. There was no increase in bus fare for the past couple of years and covid-triggered lockdown, and our financial woes need to be addressed," he added.

The JCBS also demanded 75 per cent advance payment of the hire amount for every bus.

While Transport Minister Snehasis Chakraborty could not be contacted, a State Election Commission official said increasing hiring rates cannot be declared unilaterally by the state poll panel as it has to consult with the government.

"With less than a month left for panchayat polls, no policy decision can be taken in this way. We will, however, hold talks with the bus operators and transport department officials," the senior SEC official said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)