102 buses are running while 69 others are yet to be traced out. (Source: TUTCL) 102 buses are running while 69 others are yet to be traced out. (Source: TUTCL)

The Tripura government on Saturday ordered an inquiry to trace out 69 transport buses, which have been ‘missing’ in the official documents. The buses were procured through fundings from the central government.

Speaking to indianexpress.com, Transport Minister Pranajit Singha Roy said that the Tripura Urban Transport Corporation Limited (TURCL) has 172 public buses. These buses were funded by Government of India as per provisions of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in different phases. However, only 102 of them are reported to be running, while 69 others are ‘missing’ in official documents. Meanwhile, two others were never delivered by the manufacturer.

“We took charge in March this year and found many government transport buses were missing in official documents. I tried to trace them out personally and found two buses were purchased but never delivered from the manufacturer”, the minister added.

According to a report submitted to the minister, 102 buses under TUTCL are running in different routes in urban and suburban areas of the state. However, 69 other buses, which were awarded to travel operators through tenders, are neither running, nor were they handed over to the government. Roy has ordered an enquiry to find out physical presence of these missing buses as per routes approved by the department. The enquiry team will be headed by Principal Secretary L Darlong.

The minister added that that the state Law Department was also consulted in the matter and their opinion over penal provisions against defaulters has also been taken. “This is public property. You can not take it to your home and keep it there. We shall also try to find out if any government officer is illegally involved in the matter. strict punishment will be awarded to them if found guilty,” the minister said.

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