Panaji, June 28: The Directorate of Transport has informed RTI activist and All Goa Private Bus Owners’ Association leader Sudip Narayan Tamhankar that action has been initiated or is under process on several long-pending demands raised by private stage carriage bus operators in the State.

In a letter dated June 25, 2026, signed by Director of Transport Arvind B. Khutkar, the department furnished a detailed status report on representations submitted by Tamhankar over the past three years. The response came after a statutory notice issued by Tamhankar on June 22 regarding the alleged non-resolution of the operators’ demands.

According to the department:

Road Tax and Passenger Tax books have been procured and supplied to all Assistant Director of Transport (ADT) offices.

Orders have been placed for procurement of commercial driver’s badges, with delivery expected within 15 days.

Instructions have been issued that drunken driving cases involving commercial drivers be booked by police, following discussions chaired by the Chief Minister.

The proposal regarding applicability of Stage Carriage permits for electric buses has been referred to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), and will remain pending until clarification is received.

Enforcement wings have been instructed to take strict action against illegal operation of tourist buses, private tempos, and other unauthorized commercial vehicles.

Policy measures restricting public access to vehicle owner details on the Vahan portal are already in force as per National Transport Repository guidelines.

Enforcement officers have been directed to act against vehicles registered outside Goa but operating in the State beyond the permissible period, as well as BH-series vehicles liable for tax collection.

A dedicated subsidy section has been established for implementation of the Mhaji Bus Scheme and related subsidy matters.

The Transport Department has proposed implementation of an e-office system from July 15, 2026, to improve file tracking and administrative efficiency.

Several pending fuel subsidy claims and financial assistance proposals have already been processed and are awaiting approval from the Finance Department.

Government approval and Law Department vetting are awaited on proposals relating to abolition of the 2021 MoRTH notification and objections to increased fitness certificate renewal fees.

The department stated that representations submitted directly to the Chief Minister on resolving the association’s long-pending demands remain under consideration.


The letter indicates that while several issues have been addressed administratively, a number of policy decisions continue to await approval from the State Government or clarification from the Union Ministry.