Tamil Nadu: ‘Consider plea seeking inquiry into TNSTC’s loss’, says HC

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently directed the State transport department to consider a plea which sought appointment of a commission to inquire into an alleged loss of Rs 20,488 crore incurred by the TNSTC.

A Bench of justices R Mahadevan and J Sathya Narayana Prasad gave the direction last week on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a man, KK Ramesh of Madurai, in 2018. According to Ramesh, nearly 22,500 buses are being operated by TNSTC across the state and around 1.4 lakh workers are working under it. However, due to mismanagement, poor maintenance, unchecked malpractices and irregularities, TNSTC is facing a huge loss of Rs 20,488 crore and as a result, the public have to face difficulties due to hikes in ticket fares, Ramesh alleged. 

Further claiming that the government is also not taking any step to rectify the situation or conduct a probe into it, Ramesh wanted the court to appoint a commission headed by a retired high court judge to inquire into the issue. However, the government counsel submitted that the state transport corporation is taking earnest steps to overcome the losses and ensure its smooth functioning. He also contended that TNSTC is collecting low ticket fares when compared to other states.

Relying on a judgment passed by the Principal Seat at Madras in 2018 that price fixation is a policy decision of the government and the court cannot interfere with it, the government counsel requested dismissal of the PIL.

The judges pointed out that except the media reports, Ramesh has not submitted any other documents to support his claims. Therefore, without going into the merits of the case, they disposed of the PIL by directing the state transport department to consider Ramesh’s plea within two months.