SHILLONG: Painting a sorry picture of the dismal state of affairs with regards to management of government-sponsored buses in the State, Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh on Tuesday informed that only 77 out of a total of 120 buses were operating while the remaining 43 have been left abandoned.
Replying to a question by UDP MLA Jemino Mawthoh, Lyngdoh informed that the 43 buses needed repairs and arranging spare parts for the buses manufactured by Ashok Leyland was proving to be an arduous task.
She also pointed out that the buses were initially handed over to the Meghalaya Transport Corporation which was found wanting in doing their job even though an annual budget for maintenance had been sanctioned.
As other anomalies cropped up, the buses were handed over to private operators with a clear term of reference in the contract that the operators would be taken to task in case of misuse of the buses.
When Mawthoh suggested that the government should have handed over the buses to unemployed youths instead of engaging private operators, Lyngdoh said certain standards needed to be followed and unemployed individuals would not have been able to maintain the required standard for operating the buses.
