Up until now, the Dehradun based, Uttarakhand Transport Corporation has for years made sure that the dwellers of this hill-state, stay well connected. Often it has meant using rickety old buses that refuse to be go away.
Officials of the Corporation tell Newspost that once a brand new bus rolls into the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation, it will rarely ever retires. It’s either “Refurbished, retreaded or recycled” and put back on to the road again. Initially, when its brand-new, a bus is run as an AC bus taking passengers to and fro; later after a bit of wear and tear, it is demoted to being a ‘semi-ac bus’ and finally when its almost falling apart it is recycled into an ordinary bus – waiting for disaster to happen. Left with little or no other option available, passengers have to perforce use buses which elsewhere would be in a junkyard.
A passenger told Newspost that the last category of ‘condemned’ buses ply between the State Capital of Dehradun to places like Haldwani, Ramnagar and Kashipur. By the time these cattle-traps reach their final destination, the paint is chipping, the seats that once smelt of fresh leather are torn and tattered; a few windows have fallen out; the door demands a wrestling match to open or shut; the retread are no match for the rough roads and punctures happen all the time. Meanwhile the bus wheezes, coughs, sighs and creaks but manages to limp to its chosen destination. These miracles are routine, all in a day’s work.
Speaking to Newspost Mr G.M. Deepak Jain of Uttara khand Transport Corporation says, “We need more buses for the State for which a proposal has been sent to the State Government. Though we did purchase brand new buses last year, but plying on the hill roads shortens the life of these buses.” He added, “The UTC lacks funds and we have sent a proposal for a new budget, as far as the condition of buses is concerned we cannot wish away these buses, we have to change their category and keep them on the road as long as they can ferry passengers safely.”
Manoj Thapliyal a regular passenger on the Dehradun-Haldwani roadways bus tells us, “I am a frequent traveller on this route, most of the buses that ply on these roads are just metal scrap waiting to fall apart, but beggars cannot be choosers!’
So once a bus enters the gates of the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation it will never leave. Of course officials themselves will never step into one of these contraptions. Meanwhile the vehicle will continue on a slide down the slippery slope: first downgraded, then downsized as it continues to serve those brave hearts people who step aboard these stuck-together-with- scotch-tape and shoestring affairs. That and a prayer!
