Tapan Banerjee, general secretary of the Joint Council of Bus Syndicate and the owner of stage carriages, has approached the Calcutta High Court seeking a two-year grace period for buses over 15 years old on specific city routes. This legal move comes after the transport department allegedly ignored multiple appeals from the bus association regarding the economic hardships faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2009, the Calcutta High Court had mandated that commercial vehicles older than 15 years are prohibited from operating within the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) to reduce pollution. This area includes Kolkata and Howrah cities, along with parts of neighboring districts. However, Banerjee, representing Route No. 24 from Mukundapur to Howrah, argues that the pandemic severely impacted the bus operations, warranting a reconsideration of this rule.
“We had previously appealed to the state government to provide us a two-year window for buses and minibuses attaining the age of 15 years due to losses incurred by bus operators during the two-year COVID period from 2020 to 2021. As that request was not granted, we have been forced to approach the high court as a last-ditched effort,” Banerjee stated.
The plea highlights the decline in the number of operational buses along several routes in various districts, from an average of 100 to merely 20-30 over the last four years. According to another bus association official, the number of buses plying in the KMA has dropped from around 7,000 before the 2009 ruling to just 3,000 by 2024.
Banerjee also pointed out that while the last fare increase occurred in 2018, the prices of petrol and diesel have climbed several times since then, compounding the financial strain on bus operators.
