Minibuses gather dust in Bathinda as PRTC cites losses

PRTC Bathinda depot general manager Surinder Singh said most of the private minibuses in the city don’t have route permits or are not following their routes, thereby causing losses to the PRTC.

At least 10 minibuses purchased by the Bathinda municipal corporation under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission are gathering dust as the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) says running these is not financially viable.

The minibuses bought under the central scheme parked in Bathinda.(HT Photo)

The MC purchased 20 minibuses in December last year under the mission with the central government paying 60%, while state government and MC sharing 30% and 10% each. The buses are being managed by the Bathinda depot of the PRTC and are meant to be plied within city and its periphery.

MC commissioner Sanyam Aggarwal said running these buses is the responsibility of the PRTC and the MC cannot pay for the losses.

Officials say the PRTC was suffering a loss of around Rs 8 lakh per month on these buses following which the management decided to shut the service. The PRTC management wanted the service to be extended to nearby villages to make it viable but private transporters have been objecting to this, said officials.

PRTC Bathinda depot general manager Surinder Singh said most of the private minibuses in the city don’t have route permits or are not following their routes, thereby causing losses to the PRTC.

“We have started running 10 of the 20 buses again, but if losses mount, we will have to stop the service again,” he said. There have been many incidents when the staff members of private operators and the PRTC entered into scuffle over routes.

Regional transport authority Udaydeep Singh Sidhu said the PRTC wants the minibus services in villages too to make it financially viable. “We are willing to help, but violation of route permits by private operators, if any, has to be resolved at higher level across the state.”