Patna: Transport minister Damodar Rawat on Tuesday directed officials to accelerate departmental work and ensure that public services were delivered within the stipulated time. He warned that unnecessary delays, negligence and lack of accountability would not be tolerated.Rawat issued the directions during a review meeting of all branches of the transport department headquarters at the Transport Complex in Phulwarisharif. Transport secretary Raj Kumar, state transport commissioner Arif Ahsan and other departmental officials attended the meeting.The minister stressed the need for greater coordination among the branches and instructed officials and employees to discharge their responsibilities with full commitment. He also directed that pending matters be disposed of within the prescribed timelines and that people should receive the benefits of departmental schemes and services without unnecessary delays. In cases where work had been delayed or targets had not been achieved as required, officials were directed to issue show-cause notices and fix responsibility for negligence.The meeting reviewed the issuance of permits for bus operations on intra-state and inter-state routes. Bihar has 7,818 notified routes, with 1,568 permits issued so far for routes falling across more than two divisions. Of these, 385 permits were issued during 2026. Between Bihar and Jharkhand, 913 permits have been issued on 200 notified routes, while 373 permits have been issued for West Bengal, 81 for Odisha, 67 for Uttar Pradesh, 37 for Chhattisgarh and 33 for Haryana.The process for new inter-state transport agreements with Delhi, Gujarat, Punjab, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam and Tripura is also underway.The department also reviewed digital enforcement through the e-challan system, which has been operational in Bihar since 2019. E-detection portals have been installed at all toll plazas, while cameras installed under Smart City projects in Patna, Nalanda, Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur are being used to issue e-challans. To strengthen enforcement, 501 handheld devices have been provided to transport department enforcement officials and 2,269 to police and traffic officials.The supply and distribution of registration certificate and driving licence smart cards were also examined. The transport secretary directed officials to ensure timely delivery of RCs and DLs while maintaining the quality of the smart cards.The meeting further reviewed the implementation of the Bihar Electric Vehicle (Amendment) Policy, 2026 and the PM E-DRIVE scheme. State transport commissioner Ahsan said 462 locations had been identified for EV charging stations under the initiatives. Surveys at 73 sites had been completed in the first phase, with 58 locations approved by the ministry of heavy industries. The survey process for another 162 sites was underway. The state has also made provisions for subsidies on two-wheelers and four-wheelers to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles and promote public charging infrastructure.
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