38,352 smart cards still inactive in Chandrapur, leaving ST bus commuters paying full fare
Of 2,07,807 passengers registered for the NCMC smart card in Chandrapur district, 38,352 cards are yet to be activated, and use of the card became mandatory on October 1.
The NCMC smart card scheme was launched to digitise travel on State Transport (ST) buses. In Chandrapur district, however, the scheme is running into administrative hurdles. A total of 2,07,807 passengers in the district have registered for the card, yet 38,352 of these cards have still not been activated. As a result, many passengers who registered are not getting the expected concession and are being denied it.
Use of the smart card became mandatory from October 1, which has added to the difficulty of those whose cards are not active. If the machine does not accept the card, conductors charge the full fare. This has led to disputes between passengers and conductors. Senior citizens, women and other concession holders in rural areas are particularly hard hit.
Among the 2,07,807 registered passengers are 1,62,765 women, 22,987 senior citizens, 20,852 beneficiaries of the Amrut scheme and 2,204 other concession holders. Of these, 1,69,455 cards have been activated.
Among active cardholders are 1,30,470 women, 19,938 senior citizens, 17,348 Amrut scheme beneficiaries and 1,699 other concession holders.
In other words, 38,352 of the 2,07,807 registered passengers are still waiting for their cards to be activated. Until then, they face difficulty in getting concessions while travelling.
There is a large gap between registrations and cards actually activated, which has raised questions over how the scheme is being implemented. Passengers who completed the card process are still being denied the concession and have to pay the full fare. There is a demand that the problem of inactive cards be resolved urgently and that all eligible passengers be given the benefit of the concession.
