Bathinda, December 26
The Punjab Government, which has been using state-owned Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) for various political errands, has failed to clear Rs 2.52 crore in dues towards the corporation thereby adding to the mounting losses that stand at Rs 150 crore.

Information gathered by The Tribune under the Right to Information (RTI) Act revealed that the state government has been using the buses owned by the PRTC to pick and drop people from “jail bharo aandolans”, “kabaddi cup” and other government rallies and programmes. But it has not paid the dues to the corporation.

While Rs 2.52 crore has piled up over the past 13 years, when both SAD-BJP and Congress governments remained in power in the state, a scrutiny of information shows most of the dues pertain to the SAD-BJP regime.

PRTC buses have been used to ferry people to election rallies, oath-taking ceremonies, kabaddi cup, cricket matches and other government functions to put up an impressive show of strength.

At the same time, the Punjab Government is yet to pay to the PRTC a sum of Rs 40 crore on account of the free travel facility it provided to various categories of employees on the bidding of the state government.

All this is in sharp contrast to the huge profits that the private bus transport companies owned by prominent political families, including that of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, have been raking.

During the First World Cup (Kabaddi) in 2010, the Akali government used PRTC buses to ferry crowds but it failed to release a payment of Rs 4.42 lakh as fare.

Similarly during the third World Cup in 2012, government-owned buses were again used to ferry crowds for matches, but dues worth Rs 19.77 lakh were not released to the PRTC.

During the recent fourth World Cup, 200 buses were hired from the PRTC but the bills have not yet been paid.

The corporation buses were also used in 1999, when the Akali-BJP government celebrated the 300th Khalsa Foundation Day at Anandpur Sahib and the “coronation” of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

While inaugurating the Ranjit Sagar Dam in 2001, PRTC buses were used to ferry crowds and the combined expenditure on these three government functions amounted to Rs 58.53 lakh. Even 13 years later, the amount stands unpaid.

Besides kabaddi events, the Akali-BJP government also used PRTC buses to ferry crowds during an international cricket match in October 2010, but the amount of Rs 6.13 lakh was never paid to the roadways.

The government also ferried crowds during an India-Australia cricket match in August-October, 2010 but failed to pay the amount of Rs 22.29 lakh.

The state government further failed to compensate the corporation for the losses (Rs 1.20 crore) incurred during the riots that erupted after Sant Ramanand’s murder in Austria in May 2009.

Other instances when the state government used PRTC buses but failed to pay the fare include the trifurcation of Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) into different corporations (Rs 1.74 lakh in dues), elections to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (Rs 1.50 lakh), gram panchayat elections (Rs 3.20 lakh) and block samiti elections (Rs 2.25 lakh).

Besides, the Sangrur Sports Office owes the PRTC Rs 78,817 and the Faridkot Education Department Rs 1.94 lakh.

Mini bus operators’ union leader Harmeet Singh Mehraj said transporters were at the receiving end each time the Akalis announced a big rally or a government function.

He claimed Parkash Singh Badal had announced in 2007 that buses would not be hired for government functions without payment of fare but it remained an eyewash.

He said while small transporters and the PRTC were running into losses, transport companies owned by political leaders had been minting money. “Why don’t they use their own buses,” he asked.

PRTC managing director Bhupinder Singh Rai admitted that the government was yet to pay the entire amount to the corporation.

He said of the total amount pending, Rs 78 lakh was being accounted for by book-transfer entries and correspondence with competent authorities had been initiated for the recovery of Rs 6 lakh.

The PRTC had raised a claim for its losses before the judicial commission set up to investigate the riots that erupted after Sant Ramanand’s murder, he said. On dues for the Fourth World Cup (Kabaddi), 2013, he said the bills had been received recently and would be taken up with the appropriate authorities for clearance.

The PRTC is also reportedly paying a hefty premium (Rs 7 lakh) every day on Rs 65 crore taken in loan after mortgaging its three bus stands in Bathinda, Moonak and Phagwara.

The losses could mount further if the plan to take another loan of Rs 32 crore to buy 200 buses materialises.