Transport authority in Maharashtra failed to convene a single meeting in one year, claim officials

The state transport authority STA in Maharashtra has not convened a single meeting in the last one year due to which several important issues concerning public transport have been left unresolved officials said on FridayAccording to officials the transport authority chaired by state transport secretary Parag Jain Nainutiya has failed to organise a single gathering despite the rule requiring at least two STA meetings in a yearThe STA is responsible for coordination among regional transport authorities RTA revising fares of state transport buses granting interstate permits and making decisions about other transportrelated issuesAs per section 60 of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rule 1989 it is mandatory to convene at least two meetings of the STA within a yearSome transporters have expressed disappointment about the functioning of the department led by Chief Minister Eknath ShindeThe STA has not issued interstate permits for Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and no reciprocal agreements have been countersigned since long Mahendra Lulle of Maharashtra Rajya Truck Tempo Tankers Bus Vahatuk Mahasangh saidThe last meeting of the STA took place on July 25 2022 following which two resolutions were passed when IAS officer Ashish Kumar former transport secretary of the state was its chairman RTO officials saidParag Jain Nainutiya who replaced Kumar as the transport secretary in the first week of November 2022 has not convened a single STA meeting since then an official saidThe issuance and renewal of some rentamotorcycle and rentacab licences issues about permits on interstate routes between Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh and other states the decision about the new All India Tourist Vehicles Authorisation and Permits Rules 2021 and several other issues are pending in the absence of meetings officials saidThe STA also has to ensure coordination between regional transport authorities RTAs and intervene if they make any contradictory decisions they saidThe STA issues postfacto approval to colour schemes of transport undertakings such as the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation MSRTC Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport BEST and Thane Municipal Transport TMT among othersThe BEST and several other transport undertakings have not applied for postfacto approval for new electric buses inducted in its fleets and the STA has not taken any action against transport bodies for such violations officials saidA retired officer of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Department MMVD said as per the rules the additional transport commissioner acts as the secretary of the STA and it is his primary responsibility to convene a meetingThough it was not the STA chairmans primary responsibility to convene a meeting he should have at least asked why no meeting was called The chairman cannot take a stand that he did not receive any papers the officer who did not wish to be named saidWhile the transport secretary did not respond to an email query from PTI additional transport commissioner Jitendra Patil claimed that they had convened a meeting of the STA but due to some unavoidable reasons it got postponedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever