Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 24: Though it is supposed to provide efficient transport service for travelling public as well as carriage of essential commodities of the Government agencies, the Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation (JKSRTC) fleet is heading towards extinction due to the apathy on the part of the Government as well as general loot at the hands of the ‘corrupt’ employees of the Corporation.
The alarming situation vis-à-vis fleet of this important Corporation can be gauged from the fact that 62% of the existing vehicles have outlived their age but they are still being put to use particularly in the hilly and tough terrain areas of the State thereby putting the lives of the passengers to grave risk every day.
According to the official data available with EXCELSIOR, in the year 1988-89 there were a total of 996 buses and 604 trucks in the fleet of the State Road Transport Corporation but at present the number has been reduced to 964 only. Of these, 610 are buses and 354 trucks.
Indicating that major chunk of the fleet has outlived the age, the data said that out of total 610 buses in the fleet of the SRTC, 270 are 10 years old and 340 fall in the over-age category. Similarly, out of total 354 trucks, 101 are 10 years old and 253 are over-age. This indicates that 56% buses and 71% trucks in the existing fleet are over age.
“The fleet is gradually heading towards extinction mainly because of the failure of the Government to purchase new buses and trucks for the Corporation despite being aware of the fact that it is the main agency, which is carrying essential commodities of the Government departments and its buses are mainly plying in those routes where number of private passenger vehicles is very small”, sources said.
Disclosing that no new addition has been made in the fleet of the SRTC during past several years, sources informed that a lot of vehicles was purchased under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) but funds for the second lot were not released by the Union Government due to the failure of the J&K Government to submit Utilization Certificates (UCs).
“Not only apathy of the Government even the Corporation itself is responsible for depleting fleet as periodic maintenance of the vehicles was not given required attention as a result of which the vehicles continued to suffer damages and finally dumped in the yards of the Corporation for not being road-worthy”, sources said.
Pointing towards plying of SRTC buses mainly in the remote and hilly areas of the State, sources said, “keeping in view the condition of the fleet the Corporation is putting the lives of the passengers travelling in its buses to grave risk every day”, adding “it is a matter of serious concern that Government is not sanctioning sufficient funds for the Corporation to purchase new vehicles and instead allowing the obsolete vehicles to operate in the tough terrain parts of the State”.
What to talk of SRTC, the Government has also maintained blind eye towards the upgradation of the workshops of the State Motor Garages, which is also having huge fleet of vehicles being used by the Ministers, Legislators and officers.
This can be gauged from the fact that during devastating floods of last year 150 vehicles of State Motor Garages suffered damages particularly in Parimpora workshop. But nothing substantial has been done till date to modernize the workshop not only at Parimpora but in other areas.
When contacted, Minister for Transport, Abdul Gani Kohli confirmed that SRTC fleet was heading towards extinction in the absence of addition of new vehicles. “I have recommended to the Government to initiate steps on war footing so that required number of new vehicles is purchased to infuse new lease of life in the Corporation”, he added.
“With the addition of new vehicles not only better services would be provided by the Corporation even the services of the workforce would be put to optimum use and practice of paying idle wages would come to an end”, the Minister further said while expressing hope that Government would release sufficient funds for the Corporation in near future.
He too admitted that workshops of the State Motor Garages were required to be upgraded for better maintenance of its fleet.
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