West Bengal is moving to regulate inter-state bus services operating from Kolkata and other major terminals after allegations that numerous buses are running without valid permits or are using tourist permits for regular passenger routes, according to a report by Anandabazar – Kolkata.
The report said nearly 1,000 buses operate from Babughat, near Dharmatala, to destinations in Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and other states. Additional services from other Kolkata terminals connect the city with destinations in northern and southern India. Transport department sources cited in the report said many of these buses may not hold the permits required for their routes.
The alleged irregularities include buses operating directly between West Bengal and other states without appropriate route permits. Some air-conditioned services are reportedly using tourist bus permits instead of permits meant for regular operations on specified routes. The report also raised questions over the use of Babughat and the Dharmatala area as terminal points.
According to the report, several buses list Babughat as an intermediate stop but allegedly use it or the wider Dharmatala area as their originating or terminating point. This is despite court directions concerning the use of the area as a bus terminal. The report did not provide a separate official list of the buses or operators alleged to be in violation.
The permit issue has wider administrative implications. Officials cited by the report said non-compliance could reduce government revenue and leave the transport department with limited control over services operated by buses from other states. Permit conditions determine the routes, operating areas and regulatory responsibilities applicable to passenger vehicles crossing state borders.
To address the problem, Transport Minister Arjun Singh said the state wants to introduce permit-based services through bilateral agreements with other states. Under such agreements, the transport departments of two or more states jointly determine the number of buses that can operate and the routes they can serve.
The report said no new inter-state bus routes had been introduced through bilateral agreements since 2016. Recent discussions with the Odisha government have reportedly been positive, with secretary-level talks held on operating buses as stage carriages between the two states. A stage carriage is a passenger vehicle authorised to pick up and drop off passengers at multiple points along a defined route.
Rahul Chattopadhyay, general secretary of the All Bengal Bus-Minibus Coordination Committee, said discussions had taken place with the state government on operating buses on routes in Odisha. He described the move as an attempt to restart the bilateral arrangement after a gap of about a decade.
The transport minister said bus services with Bhutan are already operational and that the government intends to establish permit-based passenger services with Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and other states. The proposed agreements are expected to determine route permissions and the number of buses that can operate between participating states.
