Shimla, May 30 (IANS): In a major relief to private bus operators, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has restrained the state-run public transport from plying buses procured under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme at concessional fares.

Disposing off a bunch of petitions filed by these bus operators, a division bench of Justices Rajiv Sharma and Tarlok Singh Chauhan restrained the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) from charging lower fares.

The HRTC is directed to draw up the timetable(s) in such a manner so as to ensure equitable distribution of passengers between the buses run by it and the private operators, said the bench in an order made available to the media on Saturday.

The petitioners said that buses procured by the HRTC under the the central government's JNNURM scheme were permitted to run on concessional fares.

They said these buses were plying both within and outside the state without obtaining stage carriage permits or following any particular timetable.