The Transport Department announced that omni buses with other state registration numbers are not allowed to ply in Tamil Nadu. Action was also taken against omnibuses with out-of-state registration plates running in violation of the rules. In this situation, the Supreme Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government not to ban Omni buses with foreign registration numbers from operating in Tamil Nadu.
Omni buses are being operated from cities including Chennai and Coimbatore to various small towns of Tamil Nadu and other states. It can be seen that many passengers who do not get tickets in trains resort to omni buses.
As omni buses pass through small hamlets, many travelers from Chennai to southern districts prefer these omni buses. Passengers have been accusing these omnibus companies of raising the fare sky high especially on festival days and weekends.
On the other hand, many omnibuses can be seen running with out-of-state registrations. A large number of omnibuses are operated with number plates including Pondicherry, Nagaland (NL) for example. 652 Omni buses with foreign registration number are causing a loss of Rs.28.16 crore to the Tamil Nadu government every year and the government insisted that the buses with foreign registration number should be changed to Tamil Nadu registration number.
As the Omni Bus Association insisted on extending the deadline for this, the government kept extending the deadline from time to time. However, this period ended on the 18th. Accordingly, measures have been taken including imposition of fines on non-state omnibuses operating in violation of the rules.
Earlier, the State Transport Corporation had informed the passengers not to make reservations for these buses and if they have made reservations, change them immediately. In this situation, the Supreme Court has issued an order to the Tamil Nadu government not to ban the operation of non-state omni buses in Tamil Nadu.
Lawyer Sangram Singh Bhonsle filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court on behalf of the out-of-state Omni Bus owners including KR Suresh Kumar. It was stated in this petition that:- It is mandatory to register the buses of other states in Tamil Nadu. Due to this, the owners of the omni bus operated from Kerala to Tamil Nadu have been affected.
Therefore, it was stated in the petition that the order of the Tamil Nadu government not to operate out-of-state omni buses should be cancelled. The petition was heard yesterday by a summer vacation bench comprising Justices PV Nagaratna and Ujjal Phuyan.
At that time, the judges issued an interim order not to prevent the operation of omnibuses outside the state. Further, the Tamil Nadu government ordered that the reply should be given by August 12 regarding this writ petition.
