Bhubaneswar, June 19: The Regional Transport Office here has ordered seizure of two city buses for flouting norms of reservation for physically-challenged people.

Though the Regional Transport Office (RTO) had earlier cancelled the permit of these buses (bearing the numbers OR-02BK/5672 and OR-02BH/9267) on May 27 following complaints by some physically-challenged persons, the officials later found that the vehicles were still plying on their routes.

“The buses should not be plying after cancellation of their permits. We have asked our officials to seize the buses. Action will also be initiated against the operators of the service,” said regional transport officer Lal Mohan Sethy.

Sources in the RTO said that according to rules, two seats should be kept reserved for the physically-challenged and they should be allowed to travel free of cost.

Similarly, persons with 50 per cent physical disability are entitled to 50 per cent concession. Both the buses, which have flouted these rules, are 44-seaters.

“We had received complaints against four city buses, but two of them were found to be actually flouting the norms. So, we had to cancel their permit,” said an RTO official.

He also said that the penalty for the offence was Rs 6,500.

However, it is very often alleged that both government -run and private buses do not adhere to the rules of reservation for the physically-challenged people.

“We are denied concession in city buses and private buses most of the times. The transport officials should initiate stringent action against the violators,” said state co-ordinator of Odisha Disabled People’s Network Sannyash Behera.

In April last year, a group of students of Ravenshaw University had detained a city bus after its crew denied concession to five visually-challenged girl students of the university.

Special secretary of state housing and urban development department S.K. Ratho said that the department had already directed the Bhubaneswar Puri Transport Services Limited (BPTSL) to provide concession to the physically-challenged persons following the rules.

The housing and urban development department is the nodal authority for the city bus service introduced under Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission.

However, officials of Dream Team Sahara, the private operator of the city bus service, said that they were complying with the norms.

“We have ensured that two seats are reserved for physically-challenged and VIPs in each bus and 30 per cent seats are reserved for female passengers,” said chief executive officer of Dream Team Sahara Sudhanshu Jena.