STATE TIMES NEWS
POONCH : No buses will run in District Poonch on Thursday in protest against non-clearance of their payment to the tune of Rs 1.61 lakh. In a press conference held by General Manager Jammu – Poonch Bus Services Jagjeet Singh at Bus Stand Poonch, he said that about 50 buses were hired by the government nine months back during former Chief Minister’s Poonch Rally but in spite of repeated requests to the government, the payment of these buses has not been released and the bus owners who have not cleared their loan installments are being charged the penal interest.
Jagjeet Singh said that no bus will come on road in the whole district of Poonch and all regular services will remain suspended for the day. The General Manager appealed to the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to issue suitable directions to the concerned authority to release the payment of Rs 1.61 lakh so that the installments of the hypothecated buses are cleared.
The General Manager also said that the poor transporters have further been burdened with the new order issued by the Transport Ministry for annual passing of the vehicles where these are registered. He said that the vehicles are mostly registered at Jammu and these vehicles, while having their route in Poonch District itself, will have to undergo huge amount of expenditure at Jammu. He claimed that their union had been fully cooperating with the government by providing concession to the school children and Veer Naris of the martyred soldiers and police cops as such deserve that their interests be also protected. He appealed that the present system of their annual passing in the district where these vehicles ply, should be allowed to continue. Prominent among others present include Ricky Tendon, Mohd Bashir , Hardev Singh and Rajesh Kumar.
