June 19, 2014
WB Govt to form an all-party committee to look into bus fare issue
The Trinamool Congress led West Bengal governmenthas set up an all-party committee to look into bus operators` demand for a farehike.
The eight-member committee will have arepresentative each of the CPI(M), Congress and the SUCI. The other fivemembers will be from Trinamool, including Transport Minister Madan Mitra.
The Minister conveyed the decision to setup the committee to representatives of six bus operator unions who met him onWednesday.
“We understand private bus operators arefacing problems. The committee will look into the demand for a fare revisionand come up with a report within a month,” Mr Mitra said.
The date and venue of the first meeting ofthe committee is being decided.
“This is the first time that such anall-party committee has been set up. We have asked the bus operators to conveytheir views to the committee. The members will study the fare structures inother states before drawing up the report,” the Minister said.
This is not the first time the governmenthas set up a committee to look into the ailments of the transport sector.
In 2012, a group of ministers led by ParthaChatterjee had been formed to look into the issues plaguing the sector. Thegroup, whose members included Finance Minister Amit Mitra and Urban DevelopmentMinister Firhad Hakim, met on a few occasions.
In the same year, a 15-member committeecomprising transport department officials, police officers and an autorickshawunion representative had been set up to suggest how to rein in unrulythree-wheeler operators.
In January, the government had set up atwo-member committee to look into the problems related to the auto service.
