Large and Medium Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar has assured to see that the government provides road tax exemption to NWKRTC for another five years along with reimbursing the subsidy arrears of students pass and fulfilling other demands.
Speaking at the 23rd foundation day ceremony here on Sunday, Mr. Shettar said that considering the dire financial status, a service-oriented public sector enterprise like NWKRTC deserves support from the government.
Measures like giving exemption from paying road tax proved to be of help to improving services. “NWKRTC was given exemption from paying road tax for a period of five years during my tenure as Chief Minister. The decision to provide exemption from paying road tax was taken ignoring the objections raised by the Finance Department and others and this bold decision has indeed helped improve the condition of NWKRTC, which was facing financial crunch,” he said.
Mr. Shettar further stated that road tax exemption was not extended after 2016 despite several pleas to the then Congress government. “I will again take up this issue with Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and try to see that road tax exemption was given for another five years to NWKRTC. Similarly, I will also try to see that the student pass arrears amounting to ₹ 722 crore was reimbursed at the earliest,” he said.
Mr. Shettar said that to sort out staff crunch issue in State road transport corporations, the State government has approved a proposal to make fresh appointments to the posts of drivers and conductors. The government has given the green signal for NWKRTC to appoint 2,500 drivers and conductors, he said and suggested that the process of these appointments be completed at the earliest.
Referring to the decision to shift the services of nearly 500 long route buses from the old bus stand to the new regional bus stand at Hosur here, he said that it was necessary considering the increased traffic and congestion at the old bus stand. It was planned to shift these services out of the old bus stand a long ago but somehow it did not materialise. The public have to cooperate with the authorities in the matter, he said.
Mr. Shettar gave away gold and silver medals to the best performing drivers and other staff on this occasion.
The former Minister and MLC Basavaraj Horatti suggested maintaining professional standards focusing on business aspects in operational practices to check losses.
NWKRTC chairman V.S. Patil and managing director P. Rajendra Cholan and others spoke.
Earlier, Mr. Shettar flagged off a bus service from the new regional bus stand at Hosur.
