West Bengal: Emphasis on employment of drivers and conductors in government buses
West Bengal: Not enough drivers. Many of those who stay have to drive most of the time. The number of buses is also less. There are many reasons why passengers have to wait for hours for government buses at different times of the day. The same is the condition of government public transport system in North and South Bengal of the state.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday expressed displeasure over the lack of buses waiting for passengers. She even called the transport office a ‘mute office’. The Chief Minister expressed warmth when she saw a person waiting for a bus on the road from the airport.
But the reality is that the transport department lacks the infrastructure and staff required for quality government public transport. This is the demand of some officials of the office. They know that there is a shortage of buses and drivers and conductors required to provide government bus service on the roads. There are also many trips on some routes trying to keep the service active. There are many sources of information about the country’s economy, but the most important is to know the country’s economy.
According to office sources, about 600 government buses run in North and South Bengal combined. At least 200 more buses are needed. Ghatti Meta has 80 route trips to facilitate domestic services. “Drivers are not forced to drive during the growing season for physical reasons. Despite this, many people increase the time invoice. That is why the number of trips on many routes has increased.”
Transport Minister Snehasish Chakraborty said that the office is working to make government bus services more accessible. “The government and the transport department are committed to serving the people. There are many plans to improve the services of government buses. Some issues will be resolved soon.”
Sources said that the transport department has been considering purchasing new buses for a long time to improve the service of government buses. Discussions are also going on with the state government
Office. There is also discussion on the recruitment of new bus drivers and conductors. Officials of the concerned departments said that the government has shown a positive attitude towards this recruitment. Sources said the state government had purchased many buses under the JNNURM project about a decade and a half ago. That’s it, they are still on the road. Many buses have been scrapped under the Pollution Act for more than 15 years. Fifteen years have passed, all the buses are still running. There are also problems with the salaries of bus drivers and some of them do not work carefully. Research shows that the number of drivers employed by agencies and contract drivers now exceeds the number of government-paid drivers. In many cases, the bus reaches the depot when it breaks down. Even the parts cannot be replaced with time. That is why despite having a fixed number of cars in any depot, they do not stay in use. All these issues have come to the fore as a reason for the shortage of government buses on the roads.
