GUWAHATI, Feb 19 - Giving a fresh momentum to the drive against erring city buses, Transport Commissioner Adil Khan today took rides in several public vehicles and monitored their compliance with the rules and regulations.
DTO Bapon Kalita said that the Commissioner, along with a few members of the bus owners� association, took surprise rides in the city buses this evening. �The drivers and handymen were not informed nor did they realise that the senior officer was in their vehicle,� Kalita said.
Over the last six days, 75 city buses have been seized and 125 violators fined in intense drives launched by the Transport Department. Around Rs 6 lakh have been collected as fines. With not many officials at the disposal of the District Transport Office, about 30 officials have been brought from the neighbouring Nagaon, Morigaon and Kamrup for the special drives launched since last week.
�These drives are going to continue. The rules and regulations are very basic and there cannot be any explanation for not following them,� the DTO said.
There are around 697 city buses plying on the roads, but the DTO admitted that since the last few days several went off the roads to evade the enforcement drives. Later, Khan told The Assam Tribune that his intention to ride the buses was to cross-check if the enforcement drives were being carried out. �We are focusing on compliance more than on realising fines,� he said.
Khan also said special counselling sessions are being held at places across the city to create awareness among drivers and handymen regarding the rules and regulations. Fresh permits are being issued to the buses with QR codes.
