Maharashtra STA fails to convene single meeting in last one year: Officials

The State Transport Authority (STA) in Maharashtra has failed to hold any meetings over the past year, resulting in the neglect of several crucial matters related to public transport that remain unresolved, officials said on Friday.

According to officials, the transport authority, chaired by state transport secretary Parag Jain Nainutiya, has failed to organise a single gathering despite the rule requiring at least two STA meetings in a year. STA is responsible for coordination among regional transport authorities (RTA), revising fares of state transport buses, granting interstate permits, and making decisions about other transport-related issues.

Section 60 of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rule 1989 stipulates that the State Transport Authority (STA) must organize a minimum of two meetings within a year. However, certain transporters have conveyed their dissatisfaction with the department's performance under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

STA has not issued interstate permits for Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and no reciprocal agreements have been countersigned since long, Mahendra Lulle of Maharashtra Rajya Truck Tempo Tankers Bus Vahatuk Mahasangh said. The last meeting of the STA took place on July 25, 2022, following which two resolutions were passed when IAS officer Ashish Kumar, former transport secretary of the state, was its chairman, RTO officials said.

STA also has to ensure coordination between regional transport authorities (RTAs) and intervene if they make any contradictory decisions, they said. The STA issues post-facto approval to colour schemes of transport undertakings such as the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), and Thane Municipal Transport (TMT), among others.

The BEST and several other transport undertakings have not applied for post-facto approval for new electric buses inducted in its fleets, and the STA has not taken any action against transport bodies for such violations, officials said.