Buses parked outside the the Sector V terminus, where they are no longer welcome. Pictures by Mayukh Sengupta

The might of the muscle men in New Town is not restricted to the domain of construction materials and building contracts. It extends to every nook and corner where money can be extorted — even public transport.

Residents of New Town had finally got a bus route which connected the upcoming township to Howrah station and Burrabazar.

From March 26, buses on routes 215A and 215A/1 that used to operate from Mahisbathan, near Sector V, ever since the tech hub was built, had extended the route till New Town. Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco), the authority responsible for providing infrastructural amenities in the township, had built a terminus for the buses in Action Area III.

But within three days, battered, bruised and allegedly threatened at gun point, the drivers and conductors have returned with the buses to the old Sector V terminus, from where the local police now wants to push them back.

The backstory

According to a spokesperson for Route 215A Bus Syndicate, an umbrella body of the 42 bus owners, they had applied to the transport department for an extension of the route to New Town. On March 19, they received a letter from the public vehicles department, granting the request. So they shifted base to the New Town bus terminus on March 26.

The deserted New Town bus terminus, where bus owners refuse to go to

But within three days, things came to such a pass that on March 29, 68 buses on the two routes were taken off the road in a mark of protest against lack of security.

When The Telegraph Salt Lake visited the Sector V depot on Monday morning, the mood was grim and it took a while to coax the bus employees to speak. “Local musclemen beat up one of our members. They have threatened us at gunpoint on a number of occasions,” said one of the drivers who refused to be named. Another member of the bus syndicate said two toughs, Haider and Mozam, were the leaders of the gang. “Haider pressured us to get him a route permit so that he too could run buses from here. We told him about the procedure that is needed to get a permit but he kept pestering us. They even beat up our starter,” said a bus owner, who too refused to be named.

Another driver stated that after they shifted to New Town, a tea stall and a pice hotel were set up by people from the rural neighbourhood. “It was a help as there is not a single tea stall or eatery in the area. Then some of these village people started asking us for jobs as securitymen. We asked them to speak to our owners. When they placed their demand before the bus syndicate, the members said they could not pay for security staff but would be willing to take in anyone who knew how to drive or was willing to work as a helper,” he said.

“But the men asked for daily payment instead and even fixed the rates. Bus owners, they said, have to pay them Rs 200 per day per bus. Each driver needs to pay Rs 50 and conductors Rs 20 per day. We refused,” said a helper.

The bus owners and employees then went to the New Town police station to lodge a complaint. “But the officer-in-charge refused to take our complaint unless we changed some of our statements, which we did,” said a member of the bus syndicate. Even then, they allege, the police did not arrange for their security.

“The strike on March 29 was our protest against the atrocities of the musclemen. It was a peaceful protest. We, the owners, agreed to join our bus drivers and conductors as they have not done any wrong. We have failed to protect these people who work for us,” said one of the owners and a member of the bus syndicate.

But their return to the Sector V terminus is in jeopardy as well. An official from the Sector V thana visited them on Monday morning to inform them that they could not continue to ply from the old depot and must shift back to New Town as that is where their route now officially terminates.

Police push

When contacted by The Telegraph Salt Lake, a police officer in charge of traffic in New Town and Sector V dismissed lack of security as a baseless complaint.

“Actually these bus owners do not want to ply from New Town as they are running at a loss. They have a permit from the public vehicles department to ply from Action Area III. We investigated their case after they lodged the complaint but found the charge to be unfounded,” said the officer.

The bus syndicate, he said, was being requested to shift back to New Town but they were refusing to comply.

Owners and employees of route 215A and 215A/1 at the meeting on Tuesday. Picture by Mayukh Sengupta

Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, the bus workers called a meeting on on Tuesday morning at the Mahisbathan bus terminus, which was attended by both workers and owners of the bus syndicate. More then 200 people attended the meeting. Bus drivers and conductors shared their experience of the three days they spent in New Town. Those who were beaten up by the musclemen were still visibly traumatised. “Come what may, we will not go back to New Town unless we get proper security. If owners put pressure on us then we will not work,” said a bus driver. At the end of the meeting, the bus syndicate decided to stand by the decision.

Deprived & deserted

A visit to the bus terminus on Tuesday afternoon revealed a deserted space, where the only proof of anyone ever having set foot was a huge Trinamul Congress election banner hanging on the boundary wall.

The terminus had been built by Hidco last year after it was decided in a meeting with the state transport department that bus routes 215A and 215A/1 would be extended to New Town so that residents and office-goers of the area would be benefited. The bus terminus had come up on an area of 22.42 cottah at a cost of Rs 36 lakh. The main gate is open. A temporary INTTUC office that came up inside the terminus was empty. The tea stall and the hotel nearby too were closed.

“It is extremely unfortunate that residents of New Town will not be able to avail of the services of 215A and 215A/1. A bus service to Howrah station is imperative for local residents. They had put in a request for this on a number of occasions to us,” said Debasish Sen, chairman cum managing director of Hidco.