No fine for pvt buses during passengers pick up, drop
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The instruction, issued after a July 2 meeting chaired by state transport minister Pratap Sirnaik, follows repeated complaints from operators about being fined by traffic police and RTO officials even during brief halts.
The directive cites a central notification — GSR 302(E) dated April 18, 2023 — which exempts AITP buses from parking penalties if they are stationary solely for passenger boarding or alighting.
Officials clarified that challans must not be issued in such cases, offering long-sought relief to the private bus lobby.
However, the order has raised fresh concerns for Nagpur's traffic management machinery, which is already grappling with rampant congestion caused by over 800 private travel buses operating daily in the city.
As per a recent study by the city traffic police under then DCP Archit Chandak and ACP Madhuri Baviskar, these buses — many of which head to or arrive from neighbouring states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Telangana and even intra-city destinations like Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Mumbai, Yavatmal, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, etc — are creating daily gridlocks by halting at busy intersections and arterial roads during peak hours.
From Baidyanath Chowk and Cotton Market Square to Residency Road in Sadar and Central Avenue, major bottlenecks have become routine, especially in the evenings when passenger movement surges. Key squares like Geetanjali, Indora, Automotive, Bole Petrol Pump square, Ravi Nagar, and Campus square are among the worst hit, with buses regularly blocking lanes while loading or unloading passengers.
"This constant obstruction leads to severe traffic snarls and poses a major hazard to commuters," said a senior traffic official.
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Manas Chowk, Liberty Chowk, Sneha Nagar, and Jagnade Chowk are also among the hotspots where complaints from frustrated motorists have been pouring in.
Last month, Nagpur police commissioner Ravinder Singal proposed a ban on private bus operations in the city citing worsening vehicular chaos. That proposal may lose steam in light of the transport department's latest directive, which, while favouring bus operators, may further strain civic order during busy hours.
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