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Polls 2012: Goa's pvt bus lobby to educate passengers on ethical voting

The All Goa Bus Owners Association (AGBOA) has said that they have started educating regular passengers to vote against corrupt candidates.

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Goa's private public transport lobby has began campaigning against corrupt candidates for the forthcoming State Legislative assembly polls through their passengers.

The All Goa Bus Owners Association (AGBOA) has said that they have started educating regular passengers to vote against corrupt candidates.

The Association has 1,200 buses which criss cross across the entire state, mostly touching the lives of rural Goans.

"We know passengers by their names as they travel regularly with us. The bus conductors (who charge fare) strike a conversation with them and appeal them not to vote for corrupt candidates," AGBOA General Secretary Sudip Tamankar told PTI.

Tamankar said the bus owners association will now distribute pamphlets educating the passengers.

These (passengers) are the voters who can tilt the balance during elections. We have a direct rapport with them we have developed a good relation over the years and it might help, he said.

The private buses operate in all the constituencies of the state, Tamankar said, and it is the best medium to reach to people as passengers can spare bit of their travel time to get educated about ethical voting.

Goa is going for polls on March 3.

The Association has on its target Transport Minister Ramakrishna Dhavalikar, with whom, they have been locking horns throughout the tenure of five years.

Tamankar said the bus operators have faced harassment due to corrupt politicians.

"The business of private buses is in loses only because of government's faulty policies and corruption in the transport department," he added.

The bus owners in the state played pivotal role in the politics till 80s. Few of the bus operators themselves were elected as legislators. But the changing times have decreased the importance of bus owners in politics.

"There is no much profit in the business so bus owners are not wealthy," Tamankar explained.

"The elections are now fought on money power and that's why we are out of the race," he commented.

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