By Satinder Bains
CHANDIGARH: The shameless Badal family had completely destroyed the Public Transport system in Punjab to meet their greed for more money. It may take years to bring back the public transport system back on rails, if present Congress party sticks to its decision of dismanteling the cartels in various businesses including passenger transport.
With fleet of abouit 500 buses, the transsport companies owned by Badal family had taken over almost all the profit and monopoly routes run by Punjab Roadways and Pepsu Transport Corporation(PRTC). A glipse of the loot done by Badal family and their accomplices can be seen in the PRTC which has recorded hike of Rs.10 lakh per day in its income after Badal's buses plying without route permists were withdrawn.
SAD president and former deputy Chief Minister who is mainly responsible for playing havoc with the public transport had appointed his favourite officers who proved themselves perfectly dishonest. There were clear instructions to set of these officers manning the transport department to give preference to Badal's buses in the time table and close all government bsues on profit routes. Badal family operated three or four buses on single permit and even forced the small transporters to sell their bus permits.
During the last ten years of SAD-BJP rule, the public transport companies slipped into losses while private transport companies owned by Sukhbir Badal and his accomplices made a big fortune.
Badal family has recently withdrawn many illegal buses from the routes which were earlier monopoly of PRTC. As a result the PRTC income has increased by Rs.10 lakhs per day or say Rs.three crores per month.This is despite the fact that PRTC is short of buses and not able to ply buses on all of its routes. The private buses owned by Badals were also allowed entry to the Bus stand in sector 17 and 43 at Chandigarh by a former Governor of Punjab.
The people of Punjab were looted with impunity by the private transporters, mainly the Badal family. The government buses were plied on the routes of losses which led to revenue loss in crores and PRTC was not even ablr to pay the retirement dues of its employees. The PRTC workers union rue the policies of SAD-BJP government and demand to impleemt the Supreme Court order of cancelling extended route permits issued by Badal government.