Public transport should not be measured in commercial terms, says JKSRTC chief

Welcoming reforms such as e-ticketing and digitisation, the Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation’s Managing Director Mir Afroz has called for defining the role of the managers of state road transport undertakings, so that they do not end up becoming “crisis managers.”

“We are not allowed to ply only on golden routes. We have to run on dry routes also. But my services are always measured in commercial terms,” he said, adding that usually the state transport undertakings are measured on how much they have earned and what their expenses have been.

He was speaking at a conference on public transportation organised by the Association of Road Transport Undertakings (ASRTU). Other state road transport undertakings from which officials were present included those from Karnataka, Haryana, Pune and Rajasthan.

Calling for counting the social benefits extended by public transport undertakings, Afroz said, “How we are benefiting the society and the country needs to be counted. If I am helping my country reduce urbanisation, doesn’t it count? The objectives of Motor Vehicles Act do not mention that you have to earn profits.”

Talking about the challenges on the ground, Afroz said, “If the roads are not good and an accident takes place, STUs are blamed. It’s important to include all stakeholders. In crisis situations, such as a strike, only public transporters are asked to ply.”

During recent elections, in one parliamentary constituency of J&K alone, 54 buses of the State Road Transport Corporation were damaged.

“Still I am asked to earn profit,” said Afroz, adding that it is not easy for government undertakings to fire people. “As a welfare state, there are difficulties on the ground,” he added.

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