AGARTALA, August 13 (TIWN): In yet another salvo to the ruling CPI (M), the High Court of Tripura issued an interim order to start bus service in all motor-able corner of Agartala by designating stands, time table of movement morning to till night and put restriction on overloading in public transport means. Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by leading policy advocacy group of Tripura ARPAN a division bench of the High Court comprising of Chief Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Subhashish Talapatra directed the government to constitute an expert committee to find out the way out for strengthening public transport system in people friendly manner. The Court also asked to recommendation of the committee has to be submitted on or before next date of hearing on September 22.

 While expressing displeasure over, overloading in auto-rickshaws on the roads, the court directed the state transport authority and police to prevent excess carrying of passengers beyond prescribed limit of three. Besides, installation of meter in the autos to facilitate both passengers and driver for settling the fare in standard method, the government should exercise to fix the kilometer wise fare.

The court however, observed that auto-rickshaws can't be considered as mode of public transport in any city and it neither substitute buses nor cater the passengers demand at an affordable cost. “To reduce traffic congestion on the street, unnecessary harassment and pollution load in the city, the government should not encourage small vehicles on the street rather there should be an effort to pool more passengers in the bus and ensure safety and comfort but in spite of specific recommendation of the then Guwahati High Court Agartala bench in 2008, the state government did not do anything yet,” argued petitioners counsel Arijit Bhowmik.

He however, pointed out that traffic personnel mobilized entire energy against two-wheelers and allowing auto-rickshaw and other small vehicles to carry excess passengers and run without fitness over the years.

The petitioner society also complaint that the state government violated the decision of the apex court regarding use of red-beckon on the official vehicles.

While Supreme Court made it clear that only constitutional post holder are allowed to use red-beckon in the car, Tripura government allowed Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to use but did not allow Chairman and members of public service commission. After hearing the case, the court summons Tripura Road Transport Corporation, Tripura Urban Transport Corporation and organizations of auto workers union to submit affidavit over the issues related to PIL.

“Transport is a basic facility to be given to the people. The government is responsible to make sure that people are able to commute from place to place to meet certain requirements that he or she might have”, Chief Justice Gupta said and instructed the state government to inform its take on twenty-three issues mentioned in the PIL to the Court by the four weeks.

The CPI-M backed CITU was today visibly taken aback by the move of the High Court. CITU president Pijush Nag today said that the Union didn’t yet decide anything. “We have just come to know about the High Court order. We sure will obey the order as anybody else would have to do”, he said.