Himachal Pradesh bleeding too, need more hand-holding, say operators

SHIMLA: Amid the concerns shown by the state government about Rs 5,000-crore apple industry facing threat of losses due to labour shortage, it is the transport sector of Himachal Pradesh that has been left bleeding during the Covid-19 pandemic. A majority of transporters say they are ruined as the state government failed to provide them relief like waiving taxes and insurance premiums.Be it the owners of luxury buses, taxis or private buses, everyone is worried about their fate as they are not even able to pay their loan instalments.
As on March 31, Himachal had 21,277 buses, 1,62,849 goods carrier, 26,880 cabs and 14,813 maxi cabs registered with the state transport department. It has been five months since a majority of private buses and taxis are without work.
Rising Covid-19 cases are only making people more scared and keeping them from travelling in public transport. People prefer to stay home or to travel in private vehicles to reduce chances of infection. Missing tourists have also left the luxury bus owners worried. Even after the state government allowed buses to operate within the state, private operators refused to ply them after finding few were willing to ride with them.
To compensate bus operators, a cabinet meeting, chaired by chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, on July 20 increased the bus fare by 25% in the present per kilometer tariffs for all travel beyond three kilometers for hilly and plain areas, while for first three kms, fare was increased to Rs 7 from Rs 5. Yet, private operators were suffering due to few passengers.
Himachal Pradesh Private Bus Operators Association state general secretary Ramesh Kamal said around 3,300 private buses were there in the state but majority were off the road. The private bus operators had cancelled operation on 100 routes across state as plying them was resulting into losses, he added. Though thankful for the hike in bus fares, he said the government should waive off the special road tax on private buses. He said private bus operators were not able to pay the salary to staff leave alone pay taxes, insurance premium and loan instalments.
The state has around 200 luxury buses whose operators are even more worried as there are no tourists. Himachal Luxury Bus Operators Association chairperson Lajwanti Sharma said one luxury bus costs around Rs 1.5 crore and its monthly instalment comes to around Rs 23 lakh. “For the last many months, buses have been grounded. Now, before bringing them on road, we will have to pay insurance and other taxes for which money is required, which we don’t have at the moment,” she said.
“We have been without work for the last five months while the government has waived off token tax till July in the name of relief. We still have to pay insurance premium and loan instalments,” said Gupt Ram Thakur, president of Him-Anchal Taxi Operators Union, which has 5,000 taxis registered with it.