The State Transport Corporation’s ‘Red Bus’, which once dominated Assam’s roads, seems set to become history. While the state government is demanding development, the financial and infrastructural condition of the corporation is deteriorating day by day. Instead of becoming self-sufficient, corporations are now increasingly opting for privatization. The authorities have failed to manage the corporation’s valuable land assets in various parts of the state and are now eyeing the international bus station at Betkuchi in Guwahati.
It is learned that the top officials of the corporation are now planning to hand over the management of ISBT to the private sector to hide their administrative failures. As a first step, the bus station parking facility will be handed over to private companies. This means that private companies will now be responsible for collecting entry fees from every bus arriving at the station.
As per the contract, the corporation floated a formal tender in May, the selected private firm will initially be given responsibility for the parking for three years. The fee to be collected from the bus will be determined by the corporation itself.
Companies willing to participate in the tender have to deposit a minimum of Rs.11.50 lakhs The deposit required is only Rs. 1 lakh.
There is a heated debate over the transfer of billions of government assets to the private sector at a nominal price. There is intense discontent among bus drivers and employees, especially those involved with ISBT. They fear that the transport sector will suffer further if private companies raise parking fees during the current energy boom.
This important bus station is currently a very busy hub with hundreds of buses converging daily from South, South, North Assam and foreign states. The Corporation should have looked at improving its infrastructure and facilities to meet the growing traffic. However, instead of maintaining its own assets, the once-proud state transport corporation has handed over the assets to the private sector. This bodes ill for the future of the corporation.