Two major bus accidents — one in Bargarh and another at Athamalik in Angul — have taken place recently, claiming more than 50 lives. Rash driving seems to be the reason behind these accidents. Why aren’t bus owners organising awareness campaigns for drivers?

All drivers, who we employ, are given licences by the government. The drivers are well-trained to run passenger buses. But the government has not initiated steps that need be taken to create awareness among them.

Another reason for the accidents is that the bus owners virtually force the drivers to work overtime… 

No, these are baseless allegations. We allow drivers to drive for 200km to 250km during the night and 300km to 350km during the day. Their working hours are quite less compared to drivers in Andhra Pradesh.. 

Overloading is also another factor for road mishaps. But, bus owners do not oppose it looking at profits... 

As a bus owner, I oppose overloading of vehicles. (In a 52-seat bus, 16 passengers are allowed to stand). The passengers who stand often do not the pay full fare. Besides, we have to pay double the normal insurance amount. We can’t avoid it.

Several buses also run without fitness certificates. There are allegations that bus owners often do not change tyres at the right time and force drivers to run the vehicles. Even buses declared unfit in Andhra  are brought to Odisha. 

Whenever any accident takes place, people say that buses are running without fitness certificates. But not a single bus plies without fitness certificate. We have to pay only Rs 520 a year to get the certificate. If anything happens and the bus does not have the fitness certificate, bus owners endin jail. Besides, the buses will not get insurance benefit without fitness certificates. On the issue of old buses from Andhra running in Odisha, I say that those days are gone. You will not find a single old bus brought from Andhra Pradesh now. You can check from the transport office.

There are demands from various quarters to install speed governors in vehicles to lessen road accidents. But a section of bus owners have opposed the proposal? 

We are not opposing it. There is no clear-cut guideline as to which type of speed governors will be fitted.  However, all vehicles will have speed governors by October 31. According to the new guidelines, a bus will ply at 80km per hour on the national highways and school buses will run at 60km per hour. But, I need to mention that speed governors should be fitted in motorcycles, cars and other vehicles, too. Bus drivers should not always be blamed. 

Whenever the fuel prices go up, bus fares are immediately hiked. But when the prices drop, the reverse don’t happen. The government does not immediately reduce fares allegedly because of pressure tactics from bus owners… 

It is a thing of the past. There is a technical committee of the government to look into the issue. We have data to show that the government takes at least three to four days to hike the fare, but the moment the price of fuel goes down, it reduces the fare instantly.  

Toll fees are needed for the development of roads. Why do you people oppose collection of toll fees?

According to the rules, a tollgate should not be located within 60km on a national highway. It should not be located within 10km of any municipality. But it has been clearly violated. The national highways have been sold to the private operators. The Manguli tollgate has been  auctioned for 27 years and the gate at Pipili has been auctioned for 30 years. There is a proposal to hike the toll by 10 per cent to 20 per cent every year. We are paying Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 for road development per annum and also paying Rs 2 per litre of petrol and diesel as cess towards road development. After paying such hefty sums, why should the bus owners be asked to pay more? Now, to cover a distance of 200km from Cuttack to Balasore, a bus owner needs to pay Rs 1,245 per day to pass three gates. Where will the money come from? We have to collect it from the passengers. Our people are poor. They cannot afford it. We have categorically told this to the government and now we are paying Rs 1,000 per gate per month.

City buses are the major mode of communication. But why are private bus owners opposing the city bus service? 

Sorry to tell you that the media is silent on a scam being perpetrated in the name of city bus service. The buses are being operated under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). 

According to the guidelines, the buses should ply within cities to improve urban transport system. But the government has allowed city bus operators to ply from Bhubaneswar to Cuttack, Cuttack to Puri, Sambalpur to Baragarh and Sambalpur to Jharsuguda on the national highways. Now, there are efforts to allow them to ply buses from Cuttack to Dhenkanal. Besides, the bus operators will be the owner of 220 city buses after six years without paying a penny. Properties worth crores of rupees will be handed over to them. What is the intention of the government? 

In other states, the government runs city buses. Why is not the same rule being followed here?  Don't you think that there is an evil design behind it? Why are these buses not being handed over to the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation?

There is a perception that those who are in the transport business don't enjoy a good reputation in public. Mostly goons are coming in to this profession. Why does this perception exist? 

Those days are gone. Now engineering students and people from other professions, even doctors are evincing interest in this profession. Earlier, most of the bus owners were non-matriculates. Now, most of them hold a first degree. But, I do admit that as many of the bus stands are still ruled by the mafia, it leads people to conclude that bus owners are goondas. Many bus owners have lost their lives opposing these mafia and dalals active in bus stands. However, police are taking steps to sort these issues. But the problem will not be solved in a day. 

Driving is a profession like any other profession. But why are educated youths not interested in joining the profession? 

Things have started to change. Many graduates have joined the profession. I have given a proposal to the state-level screening committee to employ the ITI diploma holders, give them stipend of Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 per month and train them in government-run drivers' training schools. 

If we do this, the number of accidents can be curtailed to a great extent. 

Bus owners often allege police atrocities whenever any action is taken against them. Does it exist now?  

We are harassed more by various Puja organisers than the traffic or motor vehicles officials. If a bus owner has paid the insurance and maintains and update of all records, no official can harass him. 

Fire safety is the talk of the moment. But the buses lack such measures... 

If the government asks us to ensure fire safety measures in all buses, we will certainly do it. But our buses are different from Volvo buses. The Volvo buses are airtight. If any accident takes place in these buses, the glass panes cannot be opened.But in our buses, the glasses can be opened in case of an emergency

Women are not safe in buses. There have also been reports of rape in buses... 

You are talking of the rape of a girl from Mayurbhanj. After the inquiry, it had come to light that it was a case of consensual sex. We will not compromise on the safety of women. 

But the bigger question is that whenever any woman alights from a bus in the wee hours, some places should be earmarked for her to take rest so that she could go to her destination without any threat to her life.

What is the mantra to be a successful bus operator? 

To remain in this profession, you have to always be on your toes. Otherwise, you will be ruined. You will find that those who were big operators are no longer in the profession. 

Every five years, new people are coming to the profession. You have to stay away from drinking as far as possible. The joint family system has also helped me become a successful bus owner. My family has 15 buses now.

IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT 

• A commerce graduate, Debendra Kumar Sahoo, 61, hails from Mahanga in Cuttack district
• The son of a farmer, he did his schooling from Haladia High School and Naindipur High School in Patkuara. Later, he completed his graduation from Kendrapara College
• He owns 15 buses

WHAT WOULD HAVE YOU BEEN IF NOT IN THE TRANSPORT BUSINESS? 

I would have joined government service. During our college days, very few people were bus operators. In order to attract youths to this trade, the state government had announced a scheme with 20 per cent subsidy.