NAGPUR, DECEMBER 15: After five years of languishing in the red, the financial condition of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation is now looking up with the Corporation making a profit of Rs 45 lakh over the last 20 days, Minister for Transport Shivajirao Moghe informed the State Legislative Council on Tuesday.The Minister, while responding to a poser during the Question Hour, sought to allay fears of the Opposition over the detrimental effect of unauthorised transport activities, by private parties, on the Corporation's business prospects.Earlier, Moghe's deputy Gangadhar Gade informed the House that the Government was yet to take any decision on allowing maxicabs to operate within district limits. The issue, which led to a debate on the thriving activities of private taxi operators along the State Highways, was raised by Vyankappa Patki (JD).Moghe said, barring Aurangabad, where the matter is sub-judice, the Government had not allowed six-seater autorickshaws to operate within the municipallimits throughout the State. It was yet to take a decision on maxicabs though it may have agreed in principle to grant permits on contract basis for maxicabs to operate within district limits.Under its revenue protection scheme, the Department had assigned special squads to take action against private transport operators, active in an unauthorised manner, he added.Arvind Savant (Shiv Sena) queried whether the Government was willing to take any policy decision on the issue. For, whatever the Minister said about the measures to check unauthorised transporters, the fact remains that private jeeps, buses and even maxicabs have been operating along State Highways, thus, affecting the State-owned transport corporation, he added. Moghe's reply was in the affirmative to the suggestion for a policy decision.On the State-wide stir by three-seater autorickshaw owners in June, Moghe said, the Department had already set a dialogue with autorickshaw unions to reach a settlement. One of the demands includeswithdrawal of Professional Tax, which was related to the Finance Department too. He said, his department would discuss the demand with the Finance authorities.On the proposal to take autorickshaws more than 15-years-old, off the road, Patki asked whether the Government was creating a fresh segment of unemployed people in the name of pollution control. Moghe responded that while the State was conscious about protecting public health, it would ensure that autorickshaw owners were not rendered unemployed.To a query by Nitin Shinde (Sena), Gade informed that there was no proposal, as of yet, for a change in existing auto tariffs along the basis of consumer price index.Meanwhile, Deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal announced in the House that the Government would take a decision within two months on the issue of granting Leave Travel Allowance (LTA) to teaching and non-teaching staff of secondary schools run by the Social Welfare Department. The announcement came when Leader of Opposition, Nitin Gadkari, insistedupon a statement by Bhujbal as the issue concerned 40 lakh State employees.Minister for Social Welfare Jaywant Aawale informed members that there was no question of the Government considering the financial and administrative viability of a proposal to increase non-salary grants for non-aided OBC and Nomadic Tribes Ashramshalas from the existing 8 per cent to 12 per cent.
