Ooty: The Madras High court has pulled up the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (Tnstc) over charges of unfair trade practices in the Tnstc buses being operated in the Nilgiris and asked the state corporation to give answers to the Coonoor Consumer Protection Association (CCPA) on this issue to take the next course of action.
Stating this, Mr.S. Manogaran, president of the CCPA, who is the petitioner in the case related to unfair trade practices, said that the Madras High court in its recent order on his petition, had referred to the earlier order of the Tnstc passed on 13-9-2018 on unfair trade practices as well as the order passed by the Regional Transport Officer (RTO) at Ooty, wherein the RTO had specifically stated that no permit was issued by the RTO authorizing the Tnstc to ply express buses which collect excess fare in Niligiris district.
The High court noticed that the proceedings of the RTO in Ooty, which was communicated to Tnstc offices at both at Ooty and Coimbatore, directing the Tnstc to provide an appropriate answer as to what was the alleged policy decision taken by it for charging excess fares, and held that the Tnstc office was yet to furnish any answer to the RTO at Ooty.
Accordingly, the High court, in its order passed on February 15, specifically directed the Tnstc to provide an appropriate answer, as to the policy decision taken and the basis for charging excess fare in buses to the RTO at Ooty and also to CCPA, he noted. He added that the CCPA will proceed on the issue after hearing from the Tnstc.
