TURA, June 9: In the wake of a video showing schoolchildren being denied bus services in a line bus in the districts of West Garo Hills and South West Garo Hills going viral, the FKJGP Garo Hills zone has moved West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Jagdish Chelani, airing concern over the matter.
In a letter to the DC, the FKJGP stated that it was clear through the video that the handyman was blocking the entry of schoolchildren into the bus.
“We met the employees of the travel agency under which the line bus operates and were informed that they have been forced to do so as Tura Traffic Police since recently had been fining buses for standing passengers. As students usually don’t buy tickets, they travel as standing passengers,” said the FKJGP.
Apparently, bus owners are being fined Rs 2,000 for carrying standing passengers, forcing them to stop students from boarding and bearing the hefty fines involved through the issue of challans.
What is very interesting in the entire challan fiasco is that when the bus agency produced the challan to the FKJGP members, it was found that the fine collected was under the section of ‘Disobedience of order of Authorities,{MVA 179(1)}’, and the amount fined was stated as Rs 2,000.
A little internet search revealed that the section under MVA 179(1) clearly states that “Whoever wilfully disobeys any direction lawfully given by any person or authority empowered under this Act to give such direction, or obstructs any person or authority in the discharge of any functions which such person or authority is required or empowered under this Act to discharge, shall, if no other penalty is provided for the offence be punishable with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees.”
“We do not understand how the MVA 179(1) and ‘standing passengers’ in a bus correlate and how is it possible for someone to issue a challan against an offence above the maximum cap for the offence as the maximum offence for fine under MVA 179(1) is Rs. 500. Secondly, if there is any legislation against standing passengers inside a bus, then we implore you to exempt this legislation in the whole of Garo Hills Region, as we are economically backward and certain legislations which are made in context of larger metropolitan cities should not be implemented in other backward regions,” said the FKJGP.
Meanwhile, the group expressed hope that the Offices of the Superintendent of Police and the District Transport Officer would work in tandem over the matter and ensure that the students, among others, are not impacted, especially in a region where public transport is at a bare minimum.
