Anbumani slams TN govt for extension of old buses

CHENNAI: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss condemned the state government for extending the operation of unfit government buses and urged the government to drop the decision as the move will endanger passengers.

"The DMK government has announced that as many as 6,247 government vehicles including more than 2,000 buses are running beyond their lifetime and permission has been given to extend their operation for another year. As per a central government notification in 2023, commercial vehicles that are 15 years old and private vehicles that are 20 years old should be removed from usage," he said in a statement.

The state government received special permission to operate 1,500 out of 20,926 buses and 2,500 other government vehicles that are older than 15 years for an additional 18 months, he stated. 

The government should have removed the older vehicles and replaced them with new ones within these 18 months. But the government failed. Now, it is extending the life of another 2,247 vehicles, Anbumani commented.

"As per state government policy, buses that are older than 6 years or run for 7 lakh kilometres, and express buses that are older than 3 years or run for 7 lakh kilometres should be replaced. In 2021, this was revised to 9 years or 12 lakh kilometres for ordinary buses and 7 years or 12 lakh kilometres for express buses," he recalled.

Anbumani added that the government buses in the state are in poor condition, flagging instances of wheels coming off during trips, conductors being thrown away, and water seepage during rains, amongst other issues. "After the DMK came to power, orders were issued to procure 8,182 new buses. But only 1,088 buses were procured. Apart from causing pollution, the older buses also endanger the lives of passengers and road users. The government should immediately retire vehicles that are more than 15 years old and take measures to procure new vehicles and buses," the PMK leader urged.