Interstate buses ply uninterrupted despite ban in lockdown
In a flagrant violation of lockdown norms, nearly 40-50 buses ferry passengers daily from state capital Ranchi to different cities in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh and other states
In a flagrant violation of lockdown norms, nearly 40-50 buses ferry passengers daily from state capital Ranchi to different cities in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh and other states.
Despite a ban imposed by Jharkhand government on interstate movement of buses for ferrying passengers, these buses originate from different locations in Ranchi on daily basis in the evening and crossed state borders uninterrupted without check.
Not only this, they also return to Jharkhand carrying passengers from different states. Interestingly, these passengers neither possess the mandatory e-pass required for entry in Jharkhand nor they maintain compulsory home isolation after arrival.
“The to-and-fro interstate movement of these buses have begun since Unlock-1. These operations are not possible without the support of local administration,” said a bus owner on the condition of anonymity.
“I arrived to Ranchi from Patna through bus on Friday morning. Due to some urgent work, I had gone to Patna two days back. The bus, by which I returned, dropped me at Booty More. During lockdown, the fare has increased threefold,” said a passenger Ramesh Singh, who didn’t divulge his residential location.
He, however, said that he was maintaining home isolation.
According to sources, many buses ply on the garb of transporting labourers for project work in different states. For this, they secured passes for one or two days. But, on the strength of the same expired passes, they continued operations for further period.
The Ranchi district administration has impounded one such letter issued by a central authority from a bus owner, who was required to transport labourers for Central Vista project. The administration is verifying the genuinity of the said letter. “We have launched a crackdown on illegal movement of these buses. Some of them have been seized. Cases have also been lodged against them under Disaster Management Act,” Ranchi’s regional transport authority secretary Niranjan Kumar said.
The bus owners carry out this illegal operation under a well set-up system. Their agents book tickets at bus terminals. Tickets can also be booked through phone. An hour before departure, these agents inform the passengers about the location from where they can board the bus. If they find difficulty, they are asked to arrive at a fixed location near the bus terminus. From here, they are taken to the right place through auto rickshaws.
According to a bus owner, these buses generally originate from Ranchi’s Ring Road, some roadside highway eateries and some petrol pumps. During the day, the buses park near Jumaar bridge, Dhurwa and many petrol pumps between Booty More to Ormanjhi.
He also said that generally buses take different routes other than their routine ones to reach the destination. Buses, that go to Bihar’s Buxar district or Uttar Pradesh, move via Daltonganj and not via Hazaribagh.
