Left concerned over law & order situation in Kolkata

KOLKATA: Left parties in West Bengal have expressed their anxiety over the joint drive by the police and motor vehicles officials against the 15-year old diesel-operated vehicles as they apprehend that a section of unscrupulous transport operators with support from opposition political parties may create a major law and order problem over the issue.

Already several state transport buses were torched in different parts of Kolkata on Saturday by unruly mobs as there inadequate private, mini buses and taxis to carry passengers. The drive against old vehicles will continue till Monday, which is the first working day of the week, and the volume of daily commuters will be the maximum on that day.

CPI state secretary Manju Kumar Majumder said in a statement that "by taking advantage of the government���s drive against old vehicles, anarchists would try to create law and order problem and make the situation worse."
Majumder also urged the people to take cognizance of the situation. At the same time, CPI state leader also urged the government to deploy maximum number of state transport buses on the city streets on Monday to enable the daily commuters to reach their destinations.

The Calcutta High Court had issued an order a year ago and asked the state government not to allow 15 year old vehicles to ply the city streets. July 31, 2009 was the last date of withdrawing such vehicles and the state administration on Saturday launched its drive to weed out such commercial vehicles, which triggered law and order problems in parts of Kolkata.

Private transport operators had observed a transport strike in the city and its adjacent areas on July 24 in protest against the government���s decision to implement the high court order a year after it was passed. They have also moved the Supreme Court against the high court���s order and the apex court will hear the case again on August 4.

"We have not deployed the 15 year old vehicles including buses, mini buses and taxis to honour the order passed by the high court. We are waiting till August 4 when the Supreme Court is supposed to take up our petition again," said Swarnakamal Saha, president of the Bengal Bus Syndicate.

As the old vehicles went off the road on Saturday, daily commuters had to face hardship. The plight of public transport users in Kolkata will be more pathetic on Monday, the first working day of the week as these old vehicles would not ply on that day too.

A senior state CPIM leader said on Saturday that the government had no alternative but to follow the high court order. "But we apprehend that some trouble makers with support from political parties will try their best to create a major law and order problem in the city on Monday by taking advantage of the government���s drive against old buses and taxis," he added.

Meanwhile, West Bengal transport secretary Sumantra Chowdhury who is also the additional chief secretary of the state, held a review meeting at Writers��� Buildings on Saturday. Chowdhury later told newspersons that the drive against old vehicles would continue till Monday. "During Saturday���s drive, the motor vehicles and police have seized 3 taxis, one mini bus and one private bus which were more than 15 years old," he added.