Bengal bus operators’ association claims ‘state mulling biannual CF’

Kolkata: An association of private bus operators in Bengal on Monday urged the state government to drop any proposal mandating biannual Certificate of Fitness (CF) checks for commercial vehicles operating in the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Area (KMDA), warning that such a move would severely impact the already struggling sector.

Tapan Banerjee, secretary of the Joint Council of Bus Syndicates, told a news agency that the association had received reliable information about a draft proposal by the state Transport department, which seeks to extend the life of stage carriages beyond 15 years, based on their engine emissions and physical condition.

A senior Transport department official, however, claimed that there is no information about any such draft proposal that has been prepared for being submitted to the court and a section of media is merely coming up with speculative reporting which has little basis.

The existing ban on commercial vehicles over 15 years old in the KMDA area was implemented following a Calcutta High Court order dated August 1, 2009, as part of efforts to reduce vehicular air pollution. Speaking on the cost implications of a two-time fitness certification per year, Banerjee said: “Currently, a bus owner pays Rs 840 for CF. With additional allied expenses, it amounts to around Rs 25,000 annually. Doubling this will be unaffordable for most operators. Besides, this goes against the Motor Vehicles Act, which mandates only one CF annually for commercial vehicles nationwide.”

Banerjee said they have suggested to the Transport department that engines of stage carriages be changed on a regular basis and the age limit of a bus be extended up to 20 years. “We support regular fitness monitoring, but subjecting vehicles to the same CF process twice a year is not viable. It will cripple the transport industry,” he said. The bus syndicate also questioned the logic of scrapping entire vehicles based on age alone.