Transport dept takes measures to make STUs completely self-dependent

Bengal's Transport department has taken up a series of measures to make the State Transport Undertakings (STUs) more self-dependent.

Though the state government extends financial support to the STUs, efforts are on to make them completely self-dependent.

In a bid to reduce dependence of the STUs on the state's exchequer, a total of 636 of its employees are going to be brought under the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS). All of them were "idle, sick, incapacitated and aged employees" and they are retiring on July 31.

It may be recalled that after the Mamata Banerjee government returned to power for the second time, the West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) was formed by integrating Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC), Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC) and West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation (WBSTC). This was done to ensure better transport facilities to commuters by reducing the loss incurred by the Corporations.

Out of the 636 employees who are going to get VRS, 269 are from WBTC while the rest 97 and 270 are from the South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC) and North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) respectively.

Suvendu Adhikari, the state Transport minister, will be handing over the sanction letters of the VRS to some of the employees on July 24. The programme will be held at the transport department's office at Kasba. Rest of the employees will be getting their sanctioned letters from their respective STUs. The money that is supposed to be offered will be directly transferred to their bank accounts.

The state Transport department had undertaken an assessment around nine months ago and found that the manpower to ply the state-run buses were not being properly utilised. As a result, steps were taken to utilise them properly. Moreover, unused plots in different depots under the Corporations have been leased out and it has proved helpful to the STUs as it has generated around Rs 300 crore so far. Moreover, the state Transport minister has also taken necessary measures to check "leakage" of the revenue getting generated by plying the buses. Online tracking system has been introduced to keep a real-time track on the buses. With introduction of the system, no state-run buses can return without plying on the entire set route. Now, smart cards are also in place so that a passenger does not need to buy tickets on everyday basis. Instead, they can recharge it once a month and can ply in the state-run buses.

Adhikari will also inaugurate the Surodhara project under which commuters will get to listen to announcements in the state-run air-conditioned buses alerting them about the approaching stoppages. The project has been named by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. It will be initially introduced in 700 air-conditioned buses using the GPS. Besides announcement of the next stoppage, people will also be made aware on different state government schemes through it and they will also get to listen to songs while travelling from one stop to another.