Patna zonal inspector-general (IG) Kundan Krishnan has written to the police headquarters to initiate departmental proceedings against Patna superintendent of police (SP), traffic, P.K. Das.

According to sources, Krishnan, who is a 1994-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, has sought action against the traffic SP for failing to comply with the IG's directive around a month-and-a-half back that every city ride bus plying in the state capital should have a policeman for the safety and security of passengers.

Differences had also cropped up between deputy inspector-general (DIG), central range, Shalin and Das in December when the traffic SP had ordered that all public transport vehicles should ply only on left lanes.

Just a week after the directive, Shalin had annulled it stating that the police didn't have enough resources to ensure implementation.

An officer for each of the 300-plus buses was meant to act as a deterrent for drivers, who tend to overload, drive rashly, and stop to drop and pick up passengers at random.

"The Assembly budget session is on and Holi will be celebrated next week. Both these events need a lot of policemen for security purposes. The idea of having cops in the buses can be implemented after the Assembly session ends," an officer said.

When contacted, both the IG and Das refused to comment, stating it was an official matter.

"Once a department proceeding is issued against an officer, the police headquarters, in coordination with the home department, depute a senior officer for investigations," a senior police officer told The Telegraph.

"The investigating officer in this case should be a DIG-rank officer. The investigating officer will talk to the SP and find out his point of view and make his own investigations. the investigating officer will file his report to the police headquarters upon which necessary action will be initiated."

The city ride bus drivers mostly ignore directives from the police.

For instance, on October 5 last year the cops had told the drivers to ensure that pick up and drop passengers happens only at bus shelters which mostly remain unutilised.

The order, which had come from DIG Shalin, is not followed.

Apart from the city ride buses, there are around 60 public buses which run under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.