Haryana Roadways Bus Seized in Rajasthan, Passengers Forced to Disembark

A new revelation has emerged in the case of Haryana Roadways bus seizure in Rajasthan. Hisar's Traffic Manager (TM) Surender Singh has disclosed that their roadways bus was challaned and seized due to lack of route permit. While the bus documentation was complete, the driver didn't have the timetable papers with him.

The TM also revealed that this bus has been operating on this route for the past 5 years. A letter regarding the timetable had been sent to the Bikaner RTO, but no response was received. Following this, General Managers from both states had reached a verbal agreement on the matter. Since the RTO had no knowledge of this verbal arrangement, the bus was seized.

The TM made this statement after meeting with GM Mangal Sen. However, he mentioned that the bus couldn't be released on Thursday due to a holiday. It's worth noting that on Wednesday, a Haryana Roadways bus carrying 45 passengers was seized in Rajasthan. The reason given was incorrect bus timing. 

Complete Details of the Roadways Bus Seizure Case

Bus driver Vikas explained that the bus was traveling from Suratgarh to Hisar on Wednesday afternoon when it was stopped by an RTO team in Nohar. The team inspected the bus documents and passengers. Afterward, the team seized the bus and issued a challan. The driver claims the team declared the timetable incorrect and parked the bus at the RTO office. All 45 passengers were made to disembark, though they were accommodated in other buses to continue their journey. 

Meanwhile, Hisar's Duty Incharge (DI) Surender stated that this bus has been running on the Hisar-Suratgarh route for the past 8 years. The Hisar Roadways office sent all necessary documents via WhatsApp. Despite this, the RTO didn't listen to their pleas and proceeded to seize the bus and issue a challan. 

According to the Duty Incharge, the bus departs from Hisar at 8 AM and travels to Suratgarh via Balsamand and Nohar. It reaches Nohar at 10 AM. On the return journey, the bus leaves Suratgarh at 1:30 PM, reaches Nohar at 3:30 PM, and finally arrives in Hisar at 5:30 PM. As usual, the bus had reached Nohar at 3:30 PM on Wednesday, but the RTO impounded it.

Roadways Officials Claim Action Due to Private Bus Operations 

According to roadways officials, the timetable dispute between Hisar and Rajasthan has been ongoing for a year. Private bus operators on this route from Rajasthan frequently complain about Hisar Roadways' timetable, claiming it's incorrect. Rajasthan officials take action supporting their stance. This dispute began some time ago after a bus from Hisar to Khajuwala started operating from Suratgarh. 

Previous Disputes Between the Two States 

About 6 months ago, a dispute between a Haryana female police officer and a conductor over tickets on a Rajasthan Roadways bus escalated. Following this incident, Haryana Police began issuing challans to Rajasthan Roadways buses. In response, Rajasthan also started challaning Haryana Roadways buses. 

An awkward situation developed in both states. Roadways employees and passengers were troubled by the actions of traffic police from both states. Buses were kept standing for extended periods during challaning. 

The original dispute arose when a female constable from Haryana Police refused to buy a ticket on a Rajasthan Roadways bus, claiming staff status. 

Following this escalation, Haryana Police issued challans to approximately 90 Rajasthan Roadways buses over three days. In response, 26 Haryana Roadways buses were challaned in a single day in Jaipur, Rajasthan. 

A video of the incident also surfaced, in which a Haryana Roadways conductor was filming and claiming that Rajasthan Police was unjustly issuing challans due to 5-7 excess passengers. The driver was telling the police officer that it was a 60-seater bus, to which the officer replied that there were 64 passengers. The conductor then claimed the action was being taken out of a spirit of retaliation.