Bihar Transport Minister orders officials to speed up public services
Damodar Rawat directed officials to fix responsibility for delays and clear pending cases during a departmental review in Phulwarisharif.
Bihar Transport Minister Damodar Rawat has instructed officials to accelerate public services and resolve pending cases within set timelines, according to Urban Acres on Tuesday. The directions were issued during a review meeting of all transport department headquarters branches at the Transport Complex in Phulwarisharif.
Rawat told officials and employees to work with full commitment to ensure people receive benefits from departmental schemes without unnecessary delays. He ordered that show-cause notices be issued and responsibility fixed for negligence where work has been delayed or targets missed.
The meeting reviewed bus operation permits for the state's 7,818 notified routes. Of these, 1,568 permits cover more than two divisions, with 385 issued during 2026. Regarding inter-state arrangements, Bihar and Jharkhand have issued 913 permits across 200 routes, while permits for other states include 373 for West Bengal, 81 for Odisha, 67 for Uttar Pradesh, 37 for Chhattisgarh and 33 for Haryana.
Officials also discussed digital enforcement using the e-challan system, which has been active since 2019. E-detection portals are at all toll plazas, and cameras in Patna, Nalanda, Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur are used for e-challans. The department has supplied 501 handheld devices to enforcement officials and 2,269 devices to police and traffic officials.
State transport commissioner Arif Ahsan stated that 462 locations have been identified for electric-vehicle (EV) charging stations under the Bihar Electric Vehicle (Amendment) Policy, 2026 and the PM E-DRIVE scheme. Surveys at 73 sites are finished, 58 locations have Ministry of Heavy Industries approval, and surveys for 162 more sites are in progress.
The department aims to finish remaining site surveys, secure approvals for charging locations and enforce the minister's instructions regarding accountability and service timelines.