Around 200 buses were refused the certificate of fitness in the wake of the accident at Baguiati last month in which 21 people died, but at least two of them are still running.

Metro tracked down the two buses that were refused the certificate by the Regional Transport Authority, Barasat, between April 14 and 17. Without this paper buses cannot operate but these two — WB25-B-2328 of route DN 18 (Shyambazar to Baduria) and WB11-8322 of route 215A (Salt Lake to Howrah) — were conducting business as usual.

Swapan Biswas, who drives the bus on route 215A, said he was unaware if the bus was fit or unfit, or if it possessed the certificate of fitness.

“My job is to drive the bus. I don’t know about any such certificate,” he said.

“If I ask too many questions about certificates of fitness and blue books, the owner will find a replacement for me and I will be left without a job.”

The owner of the bus could not be traced.

Pintu Das, the person who controls the operation of buses on route 215A and is commonly known as the “starter”, told Metro: “It is not my job to check the papers of buses. That is the job of the police.”

“Starters” usually owe their allegiance to the Citu, the CPM’s labour arm.

Mohan Joshi, who owns the bus on route DN 18 and drives it himself, dismissed suggestions that he could be endangering the lives of passengers and pedestrians by taking out an unfit vehicle on the road.

“Why should anyone point a finger at me?” he asked. “Look at the other buses plying in this city. How many have these certificates? I have borrowed money to buy this bus. If I don’t run it, how will I repay my loan?”

Isn’t he afraid that the police might catch him? Joshiji, as he’s popularly known in the drivers’ fraternity, replied: “We are all in the same boat. We look after them (the police), they look after us.”

Transport officials said once a bus was refused the certificate it was the police’s duty to enforce the order.

“Our job is to not renew the permits of the (unfit) buses, but the job of ensuring that they don’t operate has to be done by the police,” said C.K. Banerjee, regional transport officer, Barasat.

Shyamal Ghosh, the deputy superintendent of police (traffic), North 24-Parganas, rejected the argument. “It is the job of the transport authorities to inform us that a bus’s permit has not been renewed.

It is not possible for us to stop each and every bus and check its papers,” Ghosh said.

On April 4, a bus on route 217B plunged into the Lower Bagjola Canal, possibly because of a mechanical defect, prompting the transport authorities to call a meeting with representatives of bus owners and workers. They agreed on a set of safety measures that would have to be followed for annual renewal of permits.

In the fortnight that followed, the permits of around 200 buses were not renewed as they failed to meet the standards.