MODERN TRAVEL NETWORK COLLAPSES BEFORE START

The withdrawal of green-coloured buses — used by around 2.5 lakh passengers daily — is the latest example of the failure of the city transport plan sanctioned under JNNURM in February 2009. Two other components — modern bus queue shelters and electronic traffic signals — have already collapsed, because of red-tapism and alleged corrupt practices at Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo), an executing wing of the urban development and housing department. The Telegraph presents an overall picture how:

Public transport in the city came under strain on Friday as 40 Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme buses were withdrawn.

The buses, used by around 2.5 lakh people daily, went off the road over some payment dispute between their Delhi-based operator and Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo).

Commuters preferred the JNNURM buses to mini-buses because of their better condition and low fares.

"I could not see any JNNURM bus on Friday, so I took an auto-rickshaw. However, the auto-rickshaw fare is Rs 6, which is Rs 2 more than what the JNNURM buses charge," said Hema Devi, a Kidwaipuri resident.

Manish Kumar, a Patna City resident, said: "I used to prefer ring route bus service as the buses are in better condition than city service buses. But on not finding them, I took an auto-rickshaw."

Public transport in the city also comprises over 300 city service mini-buses and around 2,000 auto-rickshaws. But most mini-buses are in poor condition and used by the poor and vendors. Auto-rickshaws remain the mainstay of public transport despite their highly unorganised operations and reckless driving.

Rakesh Patel of Rupaspur said: "I did not face any problems today, as I travelled by one of the city service buses. Both buses take roughly the same time to go from Gandhi Maidan to Danapur. The only difference is in the fare. The city service buses charge Rs 12 and the JNNURM buses Rs 11."

Acknowledging the need to augment public transport in Patna, the central sanctioning and monitoring committee (CSMC) under JNNURM had (at its 69th meeting on February 20 & 21, 2009) approved purchase of 260 buses utilising funds to the tune of for around Rs 45 crore.

Though the central government sanctioned the funds, it took nearly six years for the state government to procure the buses. Former urban development and housing department minister Samrat Choudhary flagged off the first lot of 20 buses, equipped with close circuit television cameras and global positioning system, on August 15 last year. While only 40 out of 260 buses have been delivered, Delhi-based Adie Broswon, which was looking after the operation, announced suspension of services over non-payment of dues amounting to around Rs 1 crore.

"We ran these buses for 16 months with our own resources. It is not financially feasible for us to continue. We've been communicating this to BUIDCo for the past two months, but they have not responded," said Vishal Singh, general manager (operations), A.B. Grain Spirits Pvt Ltd, the transport wing of Adie Broswon.

Sources in BUIDCo blamed Adie Broswon's failure to pay royalty for non-payment of dues. "Adie Broswon was required to pay us royalty at a fixed rate based on revenue earned in running the buses but they have not paid a single penny," said a senior BUIDCo official.

But Vishal Singh of Adie Broswon said they had asked BUIDCo to deduct royalty from maintenance funds due o BUIDCo. "We'd asked BUIDCo to deduct royalty from what they owe us. But they've kept quiet all along."

Ashok Ghosh, a senior faculty at A.N. College said: "We had high expectations of gradual improvement in the public transport system when JNNURM buses were introduced. The JNNURM buses are the mainstay of public transport in a number of cities in the country including low- floor buses in New Delhi, Calcutta, Bangalore and Jaipur among others. But suspension of the service has doused all our hopes of a streamlined public transport system in Patna."

Urban development and housing department minister Maheshwar Hazari said: "The firm (Adie Broswon) should have intimated BUIDCo before withdrawing services. I've been told BUIDCo asked them to clear royalty dues, based on revenue earned in running the buses, following which maintenance expenses would have been paid. But neither side made any payment. We are trying to come up with some interim measure to resume bus operation till the matter is sorted out."

On Thursday, Vishal Singh had said: "We had written to BUIDCo around a month ago, requesting them to clear our dues. The same was followed by several missives and we finally sent it an ultimatum, on Tuesday, asking it to clear our dues within two days but they have not replied till date."

Other components of the transport scheme under JNNURM have also succumbed to administrative slackness.

Delhi-based Ozone Overseas Pvt Ltd stopped installing stainless steel bus shelters in January, as BUIDCo had not paid them Rs 10 crore for the said work for more than six months. The work resumed in April after payment was made to the firm. The norms laid under JNNURM for running urban transport buses require the state government to have a "city operational plan".

According to it, to operate 260 buses there is a proposal to build 216 modern bus queue shelters and install 97 electronic traffic signals.