The High Court has questioned the legality of the government's initiative for appointing bus operators on five routes between Bangladesh and India for two years without fixing fare for passengers.

In response to a writ petition, the court issued a rule upon the government to show causes in four weeks as to why invitation of a tender for appointment of the bus operators for the five international routes without fixing fare should not be declared illegal.

The routes are: Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka; Agartola-Dhaka-Kolkata-Agartola; Dhaka-Khulna-Kolkata-Dhaka; Dhaka-Agartola-Dhaka and Dhaka-Sylhet-Shilong-Guwhati-Dhaka.

In the rule, the HC asked the respondents to explain why they should not be directed to fix and publish the specific bus fare before initiating tender for the five routes.

The court also ordered the authorities concerned to settle issue for stopping collection of extra fares from the passengers in a month.

Secretaries to the ministries of road transport and bridges and foreign affairs, chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation and its deputy general manager (operation) have been made respondents to the rule and order.      

According to the petition, the bus fare for a passenger including the food meals has been fixed Tk 902 for Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka route under the protocol, but the government transport owners including BRTC are collecting Tk 1,700 to 2,200 from a passenger and therefore, the passengers are seriously being victimised.