PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Dec 1: Around 35 city buses under AMRUT, formerly JNNURM, are lying idle at the government bus depot in Baridih in want of maintenance.
Sources said the buses are lying idle due to poor upkeep leading to the sufferings of common commuters.
Significantly, of the fleet of 50 city buses allotted to Jamshedpur in September 2010, only 15 or so are currently plying in three to four routes in Sakchi, Station, Kandra and Govindpur route.
The rest, with broken windscreens, broken doors and damaged tyres, are gathering rust at the government bus depot at Baridih.
Bushes have grown all over the two-acre bus depot which lacks a shed. Theft of spare parts was also reported in the recent past.
A private party to whom 12 buses were outsourced blamed Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) for the poor upkeep.
JNAC is the custodian of city buses in Jamshedpur.
A former functionary of City Bus Karmachari Sangh said the buses are in sorry condition.
” Condition of some of the buses are beyond repair. It is high time. JNAC should initiate steps in this regard, ” he said.
The security at the depot and other staff are not getting their salary regularly.
Moreover, Vishal Sales and Service, which had repaired the entire fleet during 2015-16, is yet to get their outstanding dues.
The agency is fighting a legal battle to get back the dues.
JNAC officials said currently buses are running on four notified routes. Regular maintenance of the buses has been affected because of the cash crunch, he said.
City buses under erstwhile JNNURM were rolled out on 10 notified routes of Jamshedpur in 2010.
The ambitious bus service was introduced for daily commuters who cannot afford other costly modes of transportation.
But the fleet never had a smooth run and was finally grounded in October 2014 following a PF-related dispute between then foster parent Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC) and bus employees’ union. Later, buses resumed service in 2015 after they changed hands from JTDC to JNAC.
