Cancelled Bus Permits in Punjab: Jujhar, Dabwali, Orbit Aviation Among Others
According to guidelines of the Punjab Transport Department, bus permits can only be extended once. Hence the bu permits were cancelled.
Punjab Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar announced the cancellation of 39 unlawfully combined bus permits belonging to various private bus operators in the state.
Bhullar emphasized that departmental guidelines strictly allow bus permits to be extended only once from the destination.
However, some private operators had improperly extended these permits multiple times, as per an official statement.
Bhullar further explained that in compliance with a high court directive, permits for clubbed routes that received more than one extension were mandated for cancellation.
This action was undertaken after thorough consideration of representations made by the permit holders, the minister stated.
Furthermore, regional transport authorities have been advised not to include the cancelled clubbed permits in their timetables.
The general managers of several PRTC units have been directed to halt buses operating under cancelled permits immediately.
Why Were the Bus Permits Cancelled in Punjab?
The permits were cancelled because private bus operators violated the established guidelines of the Punjab Transport Department.
To be specific, these operators had obtained clubbed permits for routes to and from different cities in the state multiple times.
According to guidelines of the Punjab Transport Department, bus permits can only be extended once. Hence their permits were cancelled.
This action was consistent with a 1999 court decision (civil writ petition number 15786) by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which mandated the cancellation of permits for routes that had received multiple extensions.
According to authorities, the department cancelled bus permits after considering representations made by the permit holders.
Additionally, the regional transport authorities were instructed not to include these cancelled permits in any future timetables. The managers of specific units were directed to immediately halt the operation of buses with cancelled permits.
Cancelled Bus Permits: The Transport Companies Affected
The permits to and from different cities of the state which have been cancelled include the following:
- 13 permits: Dabwali Transport Company Private Ltd, Bathinda
- 12 permits: Orbit Aviation Private Ltd, Bathinda
- 7 permits: Jujhar Passenger Bus Service Private Ltd, Ludhiana
- 2 permits: New Deep Motors, Channu, Gidderbaha
- 1 permit: New Deep Bus Service, Gidderbaha
- 1 permit: Victory Transport Company, Moga
- 1 permit: Harvindra Highways Bus Service, Moga
- 1 permit: Ex-Servicemen Coop Transport Company Ltd, Moga
- 1 permit: Bathinda Bus Company, Bathinda