THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/KOCHI: With the easing of National Permit conditions in the Central Motor Vehicles Act, more private buses have started moving to run inter-state services after obtaining a permit. Private buses that obtain a National Permit can run services including on National Highways without obtaining a Route Permit. Passengers will benefit from the service that runs with destination boards and stops at fixed stops. The rate may also be reduced.

However, the presence of private buses on nationalized routes will harm KSRTC. There will also be a severe setback in income. A high-level meeting will be held today at 11 am at Ernakulam Guest House under the leadership of Minister Antony Raju to counter this movement of private buses.

The state government had given legal protection to KSRTC by excluding private buses from long-distance routes and reducing the maximum travel distance of ordinary buses to 140 km. This is what will be eliminated by the central policy. Already, private buses have entered the superclass routes of KSRTC, using the central policy.

Other bus owners also have started trying to get National Permits after a private bus named Robin started service from Pathanamthitta to Coimbatore with a destination board. Girish, the owner of 'Robin', said that the process to obtain a permit from Theni in Tamil Nadu to Thrissur via Kumali and Ernakulam has also been started.

Cannot be stopped

Manoj Padikkal, president of All India Bus Operators Confederation South India, said that the states have no power to stop the service of contract carriage buses that have obtained national permits. The central government order in this regard has been approved by the Supreme Court. The permit fee is Rs 3.60 lakh. The center will distribute the fee share to the states through which the bus will run as per the permit. Tax is also payable in the state of registration.