Interstate bus permits are at the centre of a proposed crackdown in West Bengal after allegations that numerous buses operating from Kolkata and other major terminals are running without valid authorisation. The state government is now planning bilateral agreements with other states to regularise routes and bring long-distance passenger services under formal permit arrangements.
Around 1,000 buses reportedly operate from Babughat, near Dharmatala, to destinations in Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and several other states. Additional buses from other Kolkata terminals serve long-distance destinations in northern and southern India, according to a report by Anandabazar. Transport department sources cited in the report said that many of these services do not hold the appropriate permits.
The reported violations include buses operating directly into West Bengal from destinations in other states without the required permissions. Some air-conditioned buses are also allegedly using tourist bus permits instead of permits meant for operating on specified passenger routes. The distinction is significant because tourist permits and route permits carry different operating conditions and do not provide the same regulatory framework for scheduled inter-state services.
The report also flags alleged irregularities involving the terminal designation of several buses operating from Babughat. Although Babughat is reportedly listed as an intermediate stop on some routes, many buses allegedly use the Babughat or Dharmatala area as their terminal, despite court directions. The report did not specify the individual routes, operators or number of buses affected by these alleged violations.
The transport department has said that the present arrangement affects both public revenue and regulatory oversight. When buses operate without the appropriate permits, the government may lose permit-related revenue, while its ability to monitor service conditions, route compliance and passenger operations is reduced. The report did not provide a quantified estimate of the revenue loss or identify any enforcement action against specific operators.
Transport Minister Arjun Singh said the state wants to address the issue through bilateral agreements with the transport departments of other states. Under such arrangements, two or more states decide the number of buses that can operate between them through official discussions, with services run as permit-based passenger vehicles. The number of buses assigned to each state is determined through government-level consultation.
According to the report, no new bus routes have been introduced through bilateral agreements since 2016. The West Bengal transport department has recently held what it described as positive discussions with the Odisha government. Secretary-level talks have taken place on operating buses between the two states as stage carriage services, and the minister has subsequently announced a government initiative on inter-state bus operations.
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. The minister also said that bus services with Bhutan are already operating and that the government wants to establish permit-based passenger services through agreements with Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and other states.
The proposed agreements are expected to determine the routes, permitted fleet strength and operating framework for participating services. The transport department’s next steps, including the scope of the proposed Odisha arrangement and any action against buses alleged to be operating without valid permits, have not been specified in the report.
