PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC) will now recover parking fines incurred at Delhi’s Inter-State Bus Terminals (ISBTs), including Kashmiri Gate, Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan from bus drivers and conductors. This decision, issued by the corporation headquarters, mandates the recovery of these penalties directly from the staff’s salaries. The officials informed that UTC set a 25-minute parking window for its buses at these ISBTs. Buses must complete entry and exit within this time. However, buses frequently exceed the 25-minute limit, leading to consistent fines. The corporation released an order expressing strong disapproval toward depot officials. The officials criticised them for their failure to report the ISBT parking fee problem sooner. They informed that Delhi ISBTs previously increased the fine structure. Fines now apply immediately after the expiration of the 25-minute free period. The initial parking fine stands at 500 rupees. After this, the ISBTs collect incremental charges of Rs 50, Rs 200, Rs 250, Rs 300 or Rs 350 for every five minutes a bus delays. The UTC itself covers additional service charges. However, the corporation has now decided that the fines will be now collected from the driver-conductors’ salaries. They also threatened to penalise the contracted bus operator if the fines remain unpaid. The drivers and conductors of UTC have opposed this and stated that the fine should not be deducted from their wages. They said that the Delhi government sets the fine and neither the corporation nor the passengers benefit from it. They also point out that the lack of rest time for drivers contributes to accidents. They frame the non-payment of the fine from the corporation’s funds as an improper salary deduction. They called the 25-minute limit impractical. According to them, buses require 10 to 15 minutes simply to enter the platform and a similar time to exit. This operational reality leaves insufficient time and the corporation is now imposing penalties for minimal delays after the fixed limit. They said that their union will talk to the corporation and if needed, they will legally challenge the management’s order.
