Tribal bus services: Even the tribals do not like private bus service very much

JS of Gujarat State Transport Corporation. T. Bus services run across the state. Its foremost is economics, which is rarely seen by the government itself or the public. The main for-profit services of this corporation are in tribal areas. Route Chikkar makes a profit as every route that runs in remote inland tribal areas carries every Chikkar passenger. Other than that thousands of routes suffer losses. In other words, it is the tribals who give food and water to the corporation and the rupee from the hard work of the tribals comes into the possession of the corporation only by becoming a ticket fare, from which the staff of the corporation is paid. The other side of this coin is that the worst i.e. third class services of the corporation are given to the tribal areas. Third class means third class in each stage.

The people of the so-called elite society are not equally familiar with the tribal area. Their ignorance is of many different levels. From time immemorial, people living in dense forests and inaccessible areas have been called tribals in India. In many parts of the world, they are known as natives. They have been accorded the status of Scheduled Tribes in the Constitution of India. The tribes of Gujarat mainly include Chaudhary, Kukana, Tadvi, Dhodia, Gamit, Vasava, Bhil, Ninama, Rathwa, Nayaka, Halpati, Damor, Katara, Taviad, Kotwaliya etc. Covering 6 talukas and 12 small areas of Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Panchmahal, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Valsad and Dang districts from Ambaji to Umragam in Gujarat. A very large portion of the tribal population (20.5%) inhabits the belt covering 12.51% of the geographical area.

There are various stops or stations for the tribal buses which travel from the starting point of the big cities to their destination. If there is no passenger to get off at the station or no one has made a reservation to board the bus from there, then the chances of stopping the bus are very low. Suppose Borsad comes along the way. At Borsad station, many tribals are waiting for a midnight bus to return home. Now if no one has booked from Borsad to Dahod or Godhra, the bus does not stop. This is a permanent complaint. Every day many people fall on the road. The corporation does not have standards for self-assessment of its services. There are vigilance teams, but their focus is only on checking the ticket administration. The corporation has not yet provided a single Volvo bus service to the tribal area. Is all happiness and convenience only for cities?

Private bus operators also run on every tribal route, but it is not as curved as ST. Even the tribals do not like the private bus service very much. Their nature is economical. In the last two decades, especially the tribals of Panchmahal have taken over the agriculture of the whole of Gujarat. In Saurashtra, the tribes of Panchmahal are found on farms. Farmers know that they have given up farming. They are now the only landowners. The real farmers are the tribals who really work hard for all the agricultural and horticultural crops. The so-called farmers are just land administrators. That is why the travels of all the tribals of Gujarat have increased. Assuming the corporation puts three extra buses on all the existing routes, not a single seat will remain vacant.

The condition of drivers and conductors in these tribal areas is also pitiable. Not all tribal areas have Ranbasera system for them. There are some villages where the villagers protect them with hospitality. Apart from that, the condition of all the named stations is bad. The state government yesterday announced a significant and incentive pay hike for driver-conductor salaries. For all the driver-conductors of Gujarat, the night fun is the real fun route. Here, instead of keeping the bus at the station, they enjoy the breeze that blows through the sea overnight, lined up on Nagwa beach. Sometimes the wind also takes on a liquid color with ice.