Transport department to introduce private buses in four Garhwal districts for direct connectivity

Saturday, 14 SEPTEMBER 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN

The Transport department is preparing to introduce private buses on various routes in the Garhwal region where only State-run roadways buses have been operating so far. The department had issued a notification in March for these routes, but the move faced opposition from office bearers of the roadways employees’ unions, who filed a petition in the Uttarakhand High Court. However, the High Court has now dismissed the petition, paving the way for the introduction of private buses on these routes, the regional transport officer and secretary of the regional transport authority (RTA) Sunil Sharma said. He informed that following the court’s decision, the department has begun preparations to issue permits for private buses across all the designated routes. He said, “There are two types of routes- notified and denotified routes, in the State. Only roadways buses operate on notified routes and private buses are not allowed to operate on them. Due to this, many private operators refrain from providing their services on these roads as they are compelled to use long routes. Due to this, people belonging to mountainous areas have to switch multiple vehicles to reach urban areas. To eliminate this issue, we have decided to operate private buses to make it easier for people.” Sharma said that five routes will be introduced in Tehri, Pauri, Chamoli and Uttarkashi where private operators can run their babies. “We are planning to present this proposal in the RTA meeting. It is scheduled to take place by the end of this month, with an agenda currently being drafted. Several other key decisions are also expected to be made during this meeting. The department is seeking an appointment with the Garhwal commissioner and the RTA chairman Vinay Shankar Pandey to finalise the process,” he said.