Administration in Haryana Roadways
The administrative decisions sometimes led the organizations in losses
particularly when the decisions are taken without looking at the consequences
on financial position. The losses once started to make the financial position
weak, cannot easily be tacked. The ‘Managerial Administration’ encompasses the
potential decisions and approaches to transform the whole picture. Let us took
the case of Haryana Roadways.
Situation of Haryana Roadways:
It was year 2014-15, when Haryana Roadways went into loss of over Rs.
482 Crores instead of increasing number of passengers travelling in the buses.
In 2014-15, the approximate number of passengers were 4,527 Lacs. The State
Government is entrusted to increase the number of buses and fulfil the demand
of citizens around the state but due to losses mounting high, the Government
was not in comfortable situation to increase the number of buses.
Why Haryana Roadways is facing huge losses?
· Kilo-meters covering without much profit:
There are 24 depots and 13 sub-depots in the state and all were running
in huge losses during 2011 to 2015. The 4829 buses owned and operated by
Haryana Roadways were covering over 13 Lac Kilo-meters everyday with 13.6 Lac
passengers travelling in the buses.
· Political interventions to provide concessions:
The concessions to senior citizens up to 50% of ticket charges and making
travel free for the girl students further worsen the situation and the Roadways
went to losses of 285 crores with expenditure of Rs. 1285.57 Crores over
revenues of Rs. 1000.76 Crores. The number of passengers with pass were also
increased from 15000 to 18000.
· Pressure to run in losses:
What to do for improving the financial position of the Haryana Roadways?
How the state-run organization can come in profits again, as it was before the
year 2010. The political decisions for free travelling of girl students with a
push from ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’, concession to senior citizens up to 50% of
ticket charges, and instructions to General Managers of Roadways to run buses
in villages where there are very few passengers; led to huge losses.
· Fulfilling demands of villagers with incurring more expenses:
Even today, every village is making demands to increase the number of
buses so that the villagers can easily travel on long routes while the roadways
have shortage of buses even to run at profitable areas including Chandigarh,
Delhi-NCR, and other metro cities of the state. The increasing prices of diesel
are also imposing challenges to the Haryana Roadways to operate the buses.
· Non-implementation of decisions and facing strikes:
Keeping in view, the whole situation, the Government has decided to
increase the number of buses through involvement of private contractors on
Kilo-meter scheme basis but due to strikes of employees including drivers,
conductors of buses the decision could not be implemented yet. The strikes of
employees further worsen the financial position as a single day strike led to a
loss of about Rs. 13 to 15 Lacs to one depot and approximately Rs. 400 Lacs to
the Haryana Roadways per day. The roadways unions are so strong that they are
making hurdles as much they can in making such decisions happen. Instead of
strikes and doing no work during the days of strikes, they protested and most
of the time, became successful in getting the salaries of the days of protest.
The Government formulated a master plan in which private operators have
been invited to come forward and provide buses & drivers while the
Government will provide the conductors. Hundreds of buses have been lying idle
due to shortage of drivers and the Government decided to recruit 1000 drivers
and 636 technical staff on contract basis and also to purchase 600 new buses so
that the buses can be run on maximum routes.
What can be solution to the whole crisis?
· Increasing the bus fares by taking bold decision:
Instead of wooing voters, the Government should allow the Haryana
Roadways to increase the bus fares for covering the operational cost of running
buses. In such case, it will be possible to run more buses on routes where
possibility of earning revenues is more.
· Increasing the private players:
The number of private players running private buses should be increased
in such a way that the revenues can be increased from providing licenses. The Public-Private
Partnership (PPP) mode can also be looked into, if possible so that employment opportunities
can also be increased.
· Workers’ Participation in Managerial Decisions:
It is required to take the unions in confidence and demand the solutions
from their perspective. In case, they can suggest the managerial decisions for
improving the financial position, then their decisions should be implemented
through the unions. It will solve the problems without facing strikes.
· Use of virtual courts for Traffic Challans, fines, penalties etc.:
· Use of virtual courts for Traffic Challans, fines, penalties etc.:
The traffic challan process should be made automated. The virtual courts can be used for this purpose. Once a traffic inspector fill the details of citizen caught red handed for violation of traffic rules, can file traffic challan. The citizen can view the details of the fine / penalties after getting notification on his mobile or after log in to the website of the transport department. The case can be searched through CNR number or his license number. The accused citizen can plead guilty online then proceed to pay the amount of fine; after realization of amount, the case would automatically be disposed off. However, in case the citizen not plead guilty then the case will be remanded in regular court.
Like this, the process can be made fully automated through the use of gadgets near red lights to capture the citizens violating the traffic rules. The citizens booking tickets online should be provided extra benefits and priority in availability of seats, it will reduce the manpower requirement to provide tickets inside the buses.
Like this, the process can be made fully automated through the use of gadgets near red lights to capture the citizens violating the traffic rules. The citizens booking tickets online should be provided extra benefits and priority in availability of seats, it will reduce the manpower requirement to provide tickets inside the buses.
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