Commissionerate of Transport and Road Safety collect more than ₹36 lakh fine from omni bus operators for charging excess fare during Pongal

The officials of the Transport and Road Safety had conducted the inspections from January 1 to 22

The Commissionerate of Transport and Road Safety has collected more than ₹36 lakh in penalties for charging excess fare by private omni bus operators during the Pongal festival. The officials of the Transport and Road Safety had conducted the inspections from January 1 to 22. 

A senior official of the Commissionerate of Transport and Road Safety said special teams comprising Regional Transport Officers (RTOs), Motor Vehicle Inspectors (MVIs) under Joint Commissioners, organised several inspections across the State based on the complaints received from passengers about charging of excess fare for tickets during the Pongal festival.

Though the complaints of charging excess fare from passengers was not much for this Pongal festival unlike during the Deepavali festival last year. The special teams conducted inspections of a total of 15,659 omni buses based on which 1,892 omni buses were found to be involved in charging excess fares from passengers, he added. 

The senior transport official said the deadline for those omni buses which are registered in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh but are operated in the State to be renewed with the concerned RTOs by producing the No Objection Certificate (NOC) till March 31. The senior transport official citing the loss being suffered due to the operation of more than 1,000 omni buses, which are registered in other States to the extent of ₹40 crore every year warned that from April 1, any omni-bus registered in other States would not be allowed to be operated. 

The Commissionerate of Transport and Road Safety as part of systemising the vehicles which are registered in other parts of the State issues offer letter for the omni bus operator to get NOC from the other States.