The West Bengal government has informed the Calcutta High Court that stage carriage buses older than 15 years and registered within the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) will be permitted to operate, provided they undergo fitness and pollution checks twice a year.
A draft notification containing this proposal was placed before the court during the hearing of a petition filed by a private bus owners’ association. Since the draft addressed the concerns raised by the petitioners, the court said there was no remaining issue for adjudication.
Justice Rai Chattopadhyay, while disposing of the petition on Friday, granted the state liberty to publish the draft notification “at the earliest”.
According to the draft, “Stage carriage buses registered in Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) only shall be allowed to ply beyond 15 years of age from the day of initial registration.”
The document states that once a bus crosses 15 years, its fitness and emission levels must be inspected every six months. A fitness certificate will be issued only if the vehicle complies with the prescribed emission norms.
The policy is expected to impact a large number of city buses that had earlier faced uncertainty due to age-related restrictions.
