AGARTALA / KOLKATA, May 20 (TIWN): Consumer-Rights in a State depends upon the attitude of the consumers to the sellers and accordingly Govts function on Consumer rights. Although consumers in Tripura are nervous before the bus drivers, conductors regarding fare-deals and always bound to pay more than the fixed price, but surveys show, in case of Kolkata like cities where consumers are aware and unready to pay the undeserved amount to anyone, State Govts in those places also takes the consumer rights seriously. Whereas Mamata Banerjee led West Bengal Govt rejected to hike bus fares, challenging them to sit at home if not interested to ply vehicles but clearly declared, no fare will be hiked and started Govt operating buses, then private operators there came in right track. No fare was hiked in West Bengal. But in Tripura, without Govt’s permission, the fares were hiked and the goers had no other option except paying double, sometimes triple. Also, Tripura Govt did not take initiative to run the TRTC buses for long journeys. Not a single word was heard from the Transport Ministry in this regard. Also, in Tripura no Govt could start a ticket system for the buses, vehicles.

West Bengal : There will be no hike in fares of buses as demanded by the private operators for running their vehicles with a maximum 20 passengers, maintaining social distancing norms over the Covid-19 pandemic, West Bengal transport minister Suvendu Adhikari said here on Saturday.

He said that as per the directive of chief minister Mamata Banerjee not to burden the general public during the prevailing situation, it has been decided not to increase fares of public transport in the state.

The transport department has stipulated that a maximum of 20 passengers can be carried in a bus at a time.
Though the state government wanted to restart private bus services in green zones in intra-district routes from the beginning of the third lockdown period, none of the operators exuded interest, claiming that it would lead to huge losses. The minister said that the government is taking a graded approach in restoring normalcy and as such restarting autorickshaw services would be considered later.