Guwahati, Sept. 12: The Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) will act tough against those bus conductors who siphon off money without issuing tickets to passengers after collecting fares from them.

This practice is adding to the financial burden of the ailing state-owned corporation.

An official source said as part of its latest drive, the police arrested two ASTC bus conductors in Upper Assam's Tinsukia district today.

Cases were registered against them under the appropriate provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly collecting fares from passengers without issuing tickets.

The two accused were conductors of ASTC's Rangapara-Jagun bus service, Dibya Jyoti Bora and conductor of the corporation's Nagaon-Margherita bus, Ainul Haque.

Bora was arrested at Jagun while Haque was arrested at Margherita.

"In the Rangapara-Jagun bus there were 11 passengers and Bora had collected fares from all of them but had not issued tickets to anyone," the source said.

"We are also questioning the bus driver to find out if he was involved in it. The possible involvement of senior officials of the division is also being looked into," he said.

The Sarbananda Sonowal government has made revival of the ASTC a priority.

As part of its efforts to reverse the flagging fortunes of the ailing corporation, the state government had appointed IPS officer Anand Prakash Tiwari, who is known as a no-nonsense police officer and an able administrator, as the managing director of the ASTC.

Recently, state transport minister Chandra Mohan Patowary had hinted at strong action against those ASTC employees who were found to be indulging in corruption. "Some strict decisions might also be taken in the interest of the corporation and the employees must support such initiatives for the sake of reviving the ASTC," he added.

The corporation is currently saddled with a loss of Rs 700 crore and 400 defunct buses.