MALKANGIRI: The Mukhyamantri AC Bus Seva, earlier known as Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative (LAccMI) has not resumed 20 days after it was suspended on the ground that the buses did not have electronic permits.
As many as seven Mukhyamantri AC Bus Seva buses including the one which has been kept on standby were suspended by the district administration on August 27 as the vehicles had manual permits and not the electronic ones as is mandatory. Malkangiri RTO Bhagirathi Nayak told The New Indian Express he had asked OSRTC officials concerned to apply for electronic permits and submit the same to him. “But they are yet to apply for the electronic permits. Manual permits will not work for the AC buses,” he said.
District transport manager Bibhu Prasad Tripathi said OSRTC was asked to apply for online permits but the site for the same is down for the last 15 days. “We have decided to submit the permits manually as of now. We will ensure the timing of OSRTC buses do not clash with private ones plying on the same route. We will submit the permits to the RTO on Thursday,” he said.
Earlier the Transport department had suspended AC bus operations after private operators complained about clash in timing and losses they had been incurring due to the service.
The worst sufferers of the impasse are passengers who were hoping to travel within the district in the comfort of AC buses. Manita Naik of Maithili said, “Perhaps the government thinks that poor people, particularly women office goers in Malkangiri do not deserve to travel in AC buses. Instead of suspending the bus service, we expect more such buses are introduced on different routes.”
Meanwhile, Nayak said Tripathi has submitted only a letter for resuming the service that too not in proper format. “I have asked him to submit the letter in proper format,” he said.