Archit Watts
Tribune News Service
Muktsar, September 29
To keep his word and act against the alleged transport mafia will be a litmus test for newly appointed Transport Minister Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.
A strong critic of the Badals, Warring once said in the Vidhan Sabha the state government had failed to control the transport mafia. Besides, he has publicly accused some officers of the transport department of hobnobbing with Akalis. At times, he has said the state government should issue new transport licences to allow small players enter the arena and create competition.
“Now, Warring is given the charge of the department which he always desired. It’s time to act against the transport mafia and set things right. The transport department is running into losses, which has further increased after the state government started free travel for women in state-owned buses,” said a senior Congress leader of Malwa.
Meanwhile, a senior official in the Transport Department said after the abolition of the post of district transport officer (DTO), people were a harried lot. “The new minister should once visit any SDM office to know the ground realities. He will then definitely usher in some changes. The corruption has increased manifold,” he said. “There was a need to bring in transparency in the functioning of the transport depots and set the time table of government buses as well,” he added.
Wants bus stands encroachment-free
Chandigarh: Transport Minister Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Wednesday asked officials of the department to ensure all bus stands across the state were encroachment-free within two days. Chairing his maiden meeting here, the minister said encroachments at the bus stands were not only causing inconvenience to the masses but also leading to a huge loss to the exchequer.
Punjab Transport Minister Amrinder Singh Raja Warring’s first test: Reining in transport mafia
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