NBSTC to franchise out routes and step in joint ventures

 

COOCH BEHAR, Nov. 2: North Bengal State Transport Corporation is going to engage franchisees in its different routes. The franchisee system will be introduced in the next month. Following the plan some selected routes will be leased out to private operators. It is expected that the organisation that enjoys Rs 4.3-crore subsidy from the government to pay salaries to its employees may boost up its income by the scheme.

 

NBSTC managing director Md Saheb Ali Miah said they would lease out routes to private operators from December. The franchisees may use the widely familiar elephant logo of NBSTC in their vehicles. Under this scheme the NBSTC will offer its infrastructure for use of the franchisees. At the first phase franchisees may get permits for plying their vehicles in four routes under Raiganj and Siliguri divisions. Mr Miah said, "We identified some interstate routes for handing over to the private operators. We have some difficulties in operating our buses in these routes due to various problems." At the same time he made it clear that they will not hand over any routes inside this state to private operators.

 

The MD claimed that the NBSTC was able to increase its income after adding 200 new buses to its fleet. "Since April of this year the income rose by Rs 1-crore per month. This additional income made the financial condition of NBSTC a bit better", he said. NBSTC enhanced its amenities for the passengers competing with the private operators. Repairing of buses is being done with spare parts purchased from manufacturers. Shunning of dependence on private workshops is making the situation better, he said.

 

In another move the NBSTC has introduced incentive system for the staff. Under this scheme the staffs of selected bus routes get an income target from the authority in the routes concerned. They can earn ten-percent incentive against additional income than in the previous year. The scheme was introduced about one month ago and it is expected that it may boost up income, Mr Miah believes.

 

NBSTC also introduced central fuelling system to ensure purity of fuels. Now, the buses will have to buy fuels from NBSTC's own pumping units situated at eighteen depots. These were launched in collaboration with Indian Oil. With this facility the buses can be provided with good quality fuels and at the same time it will cost fifty-paise less per litre than in outer pumps.

 

Using its own land property the NBSTC is on the way to joint ventures. Following this plan it is entering in joint ventures at Netaji Nagar in Jalpaiguri ( 4.5-acre), Tinbatti Morh in Siliguri (3-acre) and Baharampur. Modern terminuses, housing facility, commercial stalls and markets will come up in these places. In Krishnagar the NBSTC will hand over 29-bigha of land to the district administration against 4-bigha of land of animal resources development department beside National Highway.

 

Presently, there are 550 buses on the road though the total number is 709. The total number of employees is 4,900. The bus-man ratio is 1:11. Overburdened with staffs the NBSTC have to ply buses in many routes out of social responsibility. Expenditure and salaries rose but the income was not increased with a rational ratio. It gets Rs 1.5-crore per month as dividend by selling tickets of Rs 5-crore. The state government extends assistance of Rs 4.3-crore for payment of salary to the employees. In a bid to lessen its dependence on government subsidy the NBSTC took the initiatives to boost up its income, the managing director said. []