Left Front responsible for transport dept losses, says Suvendu Adhikari

Kolkata: State Transport minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday held the erstwhile Left Front government responsible for huge losses incurred by the transport Corporations and reiterated that his department has taken several corrective measures for the losses developing 'Corporations' under the aegis of his department.

"The wrong policy of the erstwhile Left Front government has contributed to the 'Corporations' incurring huge losses. Before 2010-11, the ratio of a bus to its employees was 1:11, higher than the national average which is 1:5.17 . I have standardised this to 1:4.48. Our thrust is to ensure the best of transport facilities for the common people and to make the Corporations free from running it with subsidy. We have ushered in professionalism in the functioning of the Corporations," Adhikari said in response to a query from Congress MLA Asit Mitra at the state Assembly. Adhikari said that the Left government had left a debt of Rs 132 crore on the Transport department in 2011.

He maintained that his department has adopted a clear policy in introducing buses only in those routes that are economically viable.

"We run buses only in those routes where we get at least 50 percent return of the cost incurred in operating the buses. We do not take any bank loan for functioning of the Corporations," Adhikari said.

The state Transport

department now runs 3,592 buses across the state and has 14514 employees involved for running the show. He added that the government has already introduced 20 electric buses and will roll out another 60 by the end of July. Altogether, 55 charging stations have been set up.

Asserting the measures taken for leakage of revenue, the minister said that electronic ticketing system has been introduced in state run buses. " The buses in North Bengal will also be equipped with this system by September," Adhikari said.