After a brief lull, the stage is set for the Motor ‘Vehicle Department (MVD) and Robin – a contract carriage bus, to play yet another round of cat and mouse on the State’s roads. The bus, which was released from the department’s custody following a court order, began its service to Coimbatore with 41 passengers from the private bus stand in Pathanamthitta at 5 a.m. on the day. Earlier in the day, several people had reached the bus station here to extend their support to the bus service. Just as the service took off, an enforcement team of the MVD intercepted the vehicle at Mylapra but permitted the service to continue after examining the documents including the passenger list. A couple of hours later, the service was yet again intercepted for a brief period at Anikkad near Thodupuzha. While the MVD has warned action in case of the inspections revealing a violation of permit norms, Baby Gireesh, the bus operator, is expecting the stand off to ease a bit in view of a new person set to assume charge as the Transport Minister.
“Since the contract carriages can operate services only on the basis of a prior contract , the Robin bus will not be permitted to pick up and drop passengers from different points en route,” explained a top MVD official in Pathanamthitta. The bus, which had been kept in custody at the police AR camp in Pathanamthitta citing permit violation and non-payment of fines, was released the other day on the basis of a directive by a Judicial First Class Magistrate court. The bus was released as the operator had paid the dues worth ₹.82,000. Meanwhile, Mr. Baby has approached the High Court against the MVD’s directive that the bus could not operate a stage carriage service using an All India Tourist Bus permit. The court is slated to consider the petition next month. The stand-off between the MVD and the bus operator began on September 1, 2023, two days after the daily service was launched, with an MVD team inspecting the bus and cancelling the vehicle’s fitness certificate. Unfazed by the action, the vehicle hit the road soon after clearing a fitness test and announced a resumption of service. The bus had been subjected to departmental action on several occasions ever since, which include cancellation of fitness certificate and imposition of fines of various charges. The bus service, meanwhile, has gained a huge fan base with its official social media page establishing a massive following.
