MAPUSA
After two years, a number of rounds to the office of Assistant Director of Transport of Mapusa and a gherao of the ADT on Friday fetched the much sought after letter to an aggrieved bus operator of Badem near Mapusa.
President of All Goa Bus Owners Association Sudeep Tamankar informed that the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) had passed on order on a complaint of a private bus operator that injustice was done to him and his earlier bus timing should be restored.
“The RTA had passed the order in 2018 but one of the staffer in the Mapusa ADT office sat on the file and refused to implement the order for the last two years. The bus operator has been making the rounds to the ADT but to no avail,” Tamankar said.
On Friday, some bus owners led by Tamankar gheraoed the Assistant Director of Transport of Mapusa and demanded justice to the bus operator, who has been facing harassment at the hands of a “corrupt” staff in Mapusa office.
Apparently, the aggrieved bus operator Shaym Govekar was allotted fresh timing to operate his bus along the Badem-Mapusa route which clashed with another bus operator on the same route.
Govekar then appealed to then Director of Transport Nikhil Dessai, who after holding a hearing, passed an order that the fresh timing allotted to Govekar be cancelled and his earlier timing be restored.
The order of director of transport was also ratified by the Regional Transport Authority, the highest decision making body in the transport department.
“It’s a normal office procedure where upon the staff concerned should have issued a letter to both bus operators implementing the decision of the RTA. For two years, the staffer concerned has been dilly-dallying on the matter and refusing to issue the letter,” Tamankar stated.
He said for the last two years, he has been following up the matter with the Mapusa ADTs but for some reason nothing moved.
Issue now resolved: Mapusa ADT
MAPUSA: The Assistant Director of Transport of Mapusa Madan Fatarpekar informed that he was unaware of the matter and asked the bus operators for a few days to study the issue.
“The order to restore the old timing of the bus operator was passed in 2018. We have now issued the desired letter to the bus operator and the issue has been resolved,” Fatarpekar said.
