The stand-off between the Motor Vehicles department (MVD) in Kerala and Robin bus, which has caught Statewide attention, played out for the second consecutive day on Sunday.
An MVD team intercepted the bus, which began its service to Coimbatore from Pathanamthitta at 5.05 a.m., when it reached Karimkunnam, near Thodupuzha, and slapped a fine of ₹7,500 citing violation of permit norms. In the face of a strong objection raised by local residents, the officials soon left the scene and the bus resumed its journey with a delay of 15 minutes.
“The bus will continue to invite penalties as long as it continues to operate like a stage carrier with an All India Tourist Bus permit,’’ said an official. On Saturday, MVD officials had intercepted the bus at five locations en route Coimbatore and imposed an overall fine of ₹37,500.
The bus owner, Baby Gireesh, reiterated his accusation that the MVD was acting in connivance with the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to help the State-owned carrier to maintain its monopoly in long-haul services. Interestingly, the KSRTC on Sunday launched a new service to Coimbatore using a low-floor A/C bus. The bus departed from the Pathanamthitta KSRTC bus station half an hour ahead of the scheduled departure of the Robin bus.
Besides the Kerala MVD, the Tamil Nadu MVD too launched a crackdown on the service for alleged violation of permit norms. As soon as the bus crossed the inter-State border at Valayar on Sunday, officials intercepted the vehicle and shifted it to the office of the Coimbatore Central Road Transport Office. A day earlier, the Tamil Nadu MVD had slapped the bus operator with a total fine of ₹70,410 for not paying the passenger tax.
The key bone of contention between the bus operator and the MVD pertains to the operation of the service on an All India Tourist Bus permit. While the bus operator insists that he is operating the service in line with a relaxation of bus permit norms by the Centre, the MVD holds that the bus had no permission to operate a stage-carriage service.
