Joy Antony vs The Secretary, Regional Transport

P.N. Ravindran, J.—The Petitioner applied for the grant of a fresh regular permit to operate a stage carriage on the route Chalakudy - Mala -Annamanada - Angamaly as an ordinary service. The Regional Transport Authority that met on 10.1.2011 considered the said application and resolved to grant the permit subject to settlement of timings. The Secretary, Regional Transport Authority, Thrissur communicated the said order to the Petitioner on 18.1.2011 and directed the Petitioner to produce the current records of the vehicle offered by him (KL-16 7497) within 30 days from the date of receipt of the order. It is stated that as directed by the Secretary, Regional Transport Authority, Thrissur, the Petitioner produced the current records of the said vehicle on 27.1.2011 along with the original of Ext.P5 letter. The grievance voiced by the Petitioner is that though more than a month has passed thereafter till date the Respondents have not settled the timings or issued the permit. In this writ petition the Petitioner seeks a direction to the Respondent to issue the permit after settling the time schedule within a time limit to be fixed by this Court.

Sri. Basant Balaji, learned Government Pleader appearing for the Respondent, submitted that if the Petitioner has produced the current records of the vehicle as claimed by him in the writ petition the Respondent will hold a timing conference and issue the permit after settling the timings.

In such circumstances I dispose of the writ petition with a direction to the Respondent to hold a timing conference with notice to the Petitioner and other stage carriage operators who will be affected by the settlement of timings and issue the permit in implementation of Ext.P4 order expeditiously and in any event within one month from the date of production of a copy of this judgment, if the Petitioner has already produced the current records of the vehicle offered by him.