In section 47 of the said Act, for the proviso to sub-section (1), the following provisos shall be substituted, namely:

"Provided that other conditions being equal, an application for a stage carriage permit from a partnership firm or a private limited company or a public limited company or a co-operative society registered or deemed to have been registered under any enactment in force for the time being or a group of individuals shall, as far as may be, given preference over applications from individual owners if the group of individuals consists of not less than four persons or the partnership firm, private limited company, public limited company or co-operative society consists of not less than four partners, shareholders or members, as the case may be, and one of such persons or partners, shareholders * Assent of the President first published in the Calcutta Gazette. Extraordinary, dated the 24th July, 1978. or members is a driver and holds an effective driving licence of a stage carriage and another is a conductor holding an effective conductor's licence to act as a conductor of a stage carriage; and such group of individuals or partnership firm or private limited company or public limited company or co-operative society shall be eligible to get permit for one stage carriage:

Provided further that other conditions being equal, a group of individuals consisting of not less than nine persons or a partnership firm or a private limited company or a public limited company or a co-operative society having not less than nine partners, shareholders or members, as the case may be, shall be eligible to get permits for two stage carriages if three of such persons or partners, shareholders or members are drivers and hold effective driving licence to drive a stage carriage and two are conductors holding effective conductor's licence to act as conductor of a state carriage.".