Saswati Banerjee,42, a resident of Madhyamgram, is suffering from a disability that exempts her from paying the fare on state and private buses. But every time she boards a bus and displays her disability card, the conductor abuses her and insists that she pay up. Harassed and humiliated, Saswati has finally lodged a complaint with the state commission for the disabled.

Barrackpore resident Gopal Chatterjee, too, has informed the commission that conductors of state and private buses often abuse him for producing the disability card and force him to pay the fare.

Complaints similar to the ones lodged by Saswati and Gopal are flooding the commission.

“We are receiving more than 500 letters a year from disabled persons alleging harassment by bus conductors and the figure is increasing by the year. We are taking steps but are not sure how to prevent such harassment,” said K.S. Adhikary, a senior official of the commission.

Government rules state that anyone suffering from 40 per cent disability or more is exempted from paying the fare on state and private buses, except the “luxury” and long-distance ones.

But the rule, as the complaints suggest, is followed more often in breach than in compliance.

What makes the problem worse is the absence of any mechanism in the traffic policing system to bring the errant conductors to book.

“We are helpless in such cases as only the police stations can accept and act on complaints from physically-challenged persons,” said Manoj Verma, the deputy commissioner of traffic police.

“Earlier, the complaints were mostly against conductors of private buses. But now, the conductors of state-run buses, too, stand accused of abusing bona fide disabled persons and forcing them to pay the fare,” said a panel official.

Transport department officials as well as private bus operators, however, said they are prompt in taking action on the complaints.

“We definitely take action if there is a specific complaint against a conductor,” said D.K. Sahu, the managing director of Calcutta State Transport Corporation.

Sadhan Das, the secretary of the Joint Council of Bus Syndicate, echoed him.