It is noteworthy that the High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the dilapidated condition of city buses in Bilaspur and the poor state of intercity bus services in the state. Following this, hearings began in the form of a public interest litigation. In an earlier hearing, the court had questioned the government’s actions regarding the deteriorating condition of the buses. The government stated that a significant number of e-buses were being provided by the central government, which would help address the issue of dilapidated buses.
The court had also sought complete information on the tariffs charged by private bus operators. The display of fares on buses was also mandated. In the hearing on Monday before the division bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal, the Additional Advocate General informed the court that the court had previously directed the fares to be rounded off.
The government, complying with the order, has rounded off the fares for all buses. This means that fares on any route will no longer be in decimals, eliminating inconvenience for passengers. The division bench instructed the government to provide information on the current status of city buses – the number of buses in good and dilapidated condition – at the next hearing.
