By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Two days after launching the “high-tech” JNNURM bus service in the city, Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh has taken strong note of allegations that conductors were found not issuing tickets to all the passengers.
Many of the bus passengers who were elated over the relief they got from the taxi “menace” are now complaining of not being given tickets by the bus conductors.
According to a passenger who boarded a bus at Laitumkhrah to go to Police Bazaar on Saturday, the conductor was collecting the fares without issuing any ticket.
“When I asked for the ticket, he (conductor) said the machine was out of battery,” the passenger said, adding, “the conductor gave the excuse that he had to be busy directing the driver to stop at various points.”
The MTC had earlier trained the conductors on how to handle the ticket issuing machines.
When contacted, the Urban Affairs Minister said, “The conductors should be well aware of the rules and such excuses are unacceptable.”
These buses are newly procured, so the question of machine not functioning does not arise, she said.
However, she also stressed the need for passengers being aware of their rights. “It is very important for the commuters to demand their tickets. They should get used to this trend, else these buses will be no less than the ordinary buses which ply the streets of Shillong everyday,” she said.
The minister has strictly warned the bus conductors to stick to the rules laid by the government while operating the buses and said strict action would be taken if they were found guilty.
She further added that a review on the performance of the buses would be conducted every three months to check whether the MTC is operating the buses as per the expectation.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister, AT Mondal, said everything regarding the operation of JNNURM buses would be put into order by Tuesday.
He also urged the passengers to demand ticket while informing that any person found travelling in the bus without having the ticket would be fined Rs 50 or more.
A ticket less passenger would be asked to get down from the bus at the next stop where he would have to pay the fine to the traffic personnel, the minister said.
“Fines would also be imposed on passengers who are found violating cleanliness norms like rubbing lime or spitting inside the bus,” said Mondal.
