Crackdown: Badal family buses among 454 challaned
CHANDIGARH: In a statewide crackdown, the vigilance bureau (VB) has challaned 454 buses plying without valid route permits, registration certificates, driving licences and road tax documents, with some of them even having fake number plates.
These include buses of companies owned by the Badal family, SAD leader Nirmal Singh Kahlon, BJP leader Jagdish Sahni and Congress leader Avtar Henry
The VB, with the help of Punjab Police and the transport department, conducted surprise checking on private buses on Thursday night and Friday. The bureau checked over 1,700 buses during this period.
VB chief director BK Uppal said illegal plying of private buses was a chronic problem in the state. “Taking a serious note of the issue, chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered the VB to inquire into the matter and take firm action against the defaulters,” he said
He added that the bureau have formed special teams to monitor all passenger buses to check evasion of tax and other irregularities.
“In some cases, the drivers were carrying photocopies of route permits whereas it was mandatory to carry original copies of route permits. Many private buses were not running as per the fixed time table and some buses were even using fake number plates or number plates of other buses having valid route permits,” he added.
Uppal said they will keep a vigil on private buses and any bus found without valid documents will be challaned by the local police or got impounded by the transport department.
A report from Jalandhar said VB conducted raids on major traffic points of the city and challaned 26 private buses and impounded 18 plying illegally on roads.
A transport official said companies whose buses have been challaned include Orbit and A to Z, belonging to the Badal family; Baba Budha Bus Service, owned by former assembly speaker and SAD leader Nirmal Singh Kahlon and Kartar Bus Service, owned by Congress leader Avtar Henry.
In Batala, during a special naka on Pathankot-Amritsar national highway 10 private buses were impounded. Two of these buses belong to Sahni Transport Company and Himalaya Transport Company, both owned by former BJP MLA Jagdish Sahni.
In Bathinda and Faridkot districts, a total of 11 private buses were impounded.
BUSES OF FIRMS OWNED BY SAD LEADER NIRMAL SINGH KAHLON, BJP’S JAGDISH SAHNI AND CONG LEADER AVTAR HENRY ALSO FINED DURING CHECKING ACROSS STATE
HARSIMRAT TERMS IT WITCH-HUNT
Meanwhile, Union food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal termed the government crackdown on illegal buses as witch-hunt. Harsimrat was in Mansa on Friday, where the VB challaned seven buses, including three run by the Orbit company owned by Badals, for plying without valid documents.
“None of our buses run without proper documents. The Captain government should also focus on other poll promises. Was crackdown on illegal buses the only promise of Captain?” asked the minister.