- (1.) These Writ Petitions involve common questions of law and fact and hence shall stand disposed of by this common judgment and order. The three Writ Petitions are at the instance of three individuals, who have applied for permits on different routes before the Regional Transport Authority, Purba Medinipur (hereafter the RTA) to provide stage carriage services. Their applications have not been considered and disposed of by the RTA on the alleged ground that the RTA in its meeting held on July 18, 2012 had adopted a decision formulating certain routes and that applications for permits in respect of such formulated routes would only be considered. What follows there from is that since the routes on which the petitioners propose to operate stage carriage services are not included in such list, their applications would not be considered.
(2.) I need not enter into the factual controversy as to whether what the petitioners say is correct or not but one of the petitioners having challenged a notice dated February 26, 2013 issued by the Secretary of the RTA, the genesis of the dispute can be tracked and the same resolved.
(3.) The Secretary of the RTA issued notice dated February 26, 2013 enclosing therewith a list of bus and maxi cab routes. Such list contained the distinct numbers of the routes, the approximate distance between the termini of the listed routes and the maximum number of permits that could be granted on such routes. The notice is reproduced below: Applications are invited from interested persons eligible to have routes permits as per provision of sections 69, 70, 71 and 80 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 for stage carriage permit for plying of Buses and Maxi Cabs on the routes where vacancies exist at present Number of vacancies available on routes have been given in Annexure-A. It is also mentioned for convenience of all concerned that Route No., Route details, Approximate distance etc, have already been notified vide this office Notice issued vide No. 647/MV dated 26/02/2013. Henceforth all the routes wilt be identified and known only by the Route number assigned to each through the said notification. In case of granting permits Widows, Handicapped persons, and Beneficiaries of loans under SC/ST Schemes, BSKP, PMREGP, West Bengal Minorities Development and Finance Corporation would be given priority. Guidelines on application for stage carriage permit i.e. application fee, application format, conditions for stage carriage permit etc. are enclosed herewith as Annexure-B. The last date for submission of complete application in the office of RTO, Purba Medinipur is 12.03.2013. This notice is being issued in the interest of public service.;