KOCHI: The state government will confiscate contract carriage buses with All India Tourist Permit (AITP) that operate as stage carriages by ‘misusing’ the provisions in the Centre’s new notification. Some provisions in the Centre’s new notification allow contract carriages to carry passengers like other stage carriers.
A meeting convened by Transport Minister Antony Raju in Kochi on Tuesday decided to act tough on the illegal operations by contract carriage buses. The minister told reporters that the new notification published in April is contrary to the Centre’s Motor Vehicles Act.
“Several rules in the new notification violate the provisions of the existing Act. No one has the authority to make rules that violate the provisions of the Act. Such rules will not have any legal standing. Enacting a rule to nullify the Act is against various orders issued by the Supreme Court in this regard. Strict action will be initiated against contract carriage buses as they do not have any legal rights to operate as stage carriers,” the minister said.
The minister stated that vehicle owners are misinterpreting the new notification. “The state has decided to work in accordance with the Central Act rather than the notification. If vehicle owners violate the law, the government will take tough measures,” the minister said.
A meeting of RTOs, Enforcement RTOs, and deputy transport commissioners will be convened in Thiruvananthapuram on September 12.
“Violation of the Act by citing the provisions in the new notification not only affects the operation of KSRTC but also thousands of workers attached to the stage carriage buses. The government is committed to protecting the workers of state carriage buses,” he said.
The minister further said that the government will not approach the Centre to cancel the order, but will instead seek legal recourse to correct it.
Action against buses registered in other states
The minister has warned the owners of contract carriages against registering their vehicles in other states and conducting service inside the state to avoid paying road tax in Kerala.
“Several contract carriage buses are operating in the state after registering in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland to avoid paying road tax in Kerala. They use a fake address to register the vehicle in those states where the tax is low,” he said. The minister said that there are 52 such vehicles conducting service in Kerala.
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