Taking note of the precarious financial position of state-run transport corporations, Madras High Court today lamented that despite its repeated observations no steps had been taken for making them viable.
The court made the observation when Advocate General A L Somayji during the hearing of a PIL on collection of toll, submitted that as many as 700 buses belonging to the corporations were attached for non-payment of various dues.
"This itself almost shows the financial position of the State Transport Corporation. Despite our observation in various orders, no steps appear to have been taken for either winding up of the State Transport Corporation or to make it viable," a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M M Sundresh said.
Earlier, the AG handed over five cheques for an amount around Rs 1,77,00,000 as a part payment towards the toll charges to the National Highways Authority of India, complying with the court's February 3 last order directing the corporations to clear all the dues with regard to the toll charges.
The PIL had pleaded the court to forbear NHAI and their concessionaire from collecting the toll charges till such time damaged highways were repaired.
When the matter came up today, Indian Road Congress, which was directed by the court to inspect the roads, in its report submitted that all the defects noticed by it were rectified except for the lights which would be completed shortly.
Following this the bench closed the PIL.
