SHILLONG: The new Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh has revealed loopholes in the Cabinet memo on JNNURM buses which is set to delay the launching of the city bus service.
The minister, who took over after the recent Cabinet reshuffle, has already sought a modification of the Cabinet memo on the operation of 40 JNNURM buses by the MTC.
“There are a lot of issues which are not mentioned in the Cabinet memo. I would want to first address these issues before tabling the memo before the Cabinet for its final approval,” Lyngdoh told reporters on Friday.
She said the Cabinet memo was silent on the terms and conditions about the agreement according to which the buses are being handed over to the MTC.
“In the Cabinet memo, there was no mention whether the these buses are given to the Corporation for operation permanently or on a temporary basis,” said the Urban Affairs Minister.
She also feels that there should be a clause on who would operate the buses if the MTC failed to provide the service. Referring to the vehicle life of nine years of the JNNURM buses, she said, “The Cabinet memo is silent on who shall take the responsibility for damage during the course of operation. I personally think that the authorities running the buses should take the responsibility.”
She also pointed out that the Cabinet memo is also silent on what action would be taken against any driver who is found to be drinking on duty.
She assured to take steps to ensure that introduction of these buses does not become another cause for traffic congestion in the city which is already in shambles.