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KSRTC keen on floating MMTC in Mangalore

Monday, 21 July 2008

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation Mangalore division has initiated the move to introduce city and mofussil services in its divisional jurisdiction, particularly a city service in Mangalore and intra city service between Udupi and Mangalore. Initially the KSRTC will start Peak Hour Service (PHS) in various routes including Ullal to State Bank, Surathkal to State Bank. Feasibility studies are also on for few other routes according to top official sources in KSRTC headquarters in Shantinagar Bangalore.   The sources said the proposal has come from the KSRTC Mangalore division and a decision will be taken at the Board level soon. The Ministry is also in the grip of the situation.   The Dakshina Kannada district is serviced by mainly by the private operators. There is 60 percent private routes and only 40 percent nationalized routes. The KSRTC is operating on all state highways while the Udupi-Mangalore sector has been operated solely by private operators despite the KSRTC being in a position to operate on this route.   The KSRTC has been eyeing the city and Udupi-Mangalore route for quite a long time but the private transport lobby had a series of litigations launched against that move. The recent one was the litigation on Ullal-State Bank PHS as proposed by the KSRTC. The private operator had brought a stay order from the court against KSRTC operating on the rural routes. The District in -charge minister Krishna Palemar has not approved of such coercive moves and has warned the private operators sternly and has said he would seek the opinion of the Transport minister in this regard and ask the minister to take appropriate measures. He told Mangalorean.com on the sidelines of a the Assembly Hall in Vidhana Soudha today that  the private operators have become a major hurdle in improving the transport services in Mangalore city which is now in a fast track growth. Commuters were not only being ill treated by the crew of the bus companies but also were troubling other road users with their rash driving and making every road in the city and mofussil areas race tracks.   Transport Minister R. Ashok who is also in favour of the KSRTC starting its operations told Mangalorean.com "I know the private operators in that district were creating hell for the commuters and the road users and police were not doing enough to control them. In another major concern they are not offering safe transport facilities, their vehicles do not have doors and are awfully crowded in the peak hours and some of the buses were over 15 years old and were not road worthy."   When the people in the entire state were travelling in safe vehicles why should Mangaloreans put up with rattling city buses and arrogant drivers and conductors?  Ask passengers. The Road users Association (which is a part of the Nagarika Hitarakshana Vedike) activists say KSRTC can provide good services as the corporation was a state run organization and petty profits was not a consideration that it will look for realizing. But the single bus operators it is a question of survival. They will do anything to get that extra passenger on the way. Their vehicles will stop at a drop of the hat and they follow no rules. They overtake from left, use shrill horns, drive rashly, engage in fierce competition in the middle city road thereby jeopardizing the public safety and sometimes the crew get into a street fight.   The Senior citizens have more complaints. They say the foot boards of the buses are more than two feet high which makes it very difficult for them to get in and out of the bus. The vehicles do not have seats reserved for senior citizens. The crew of the buses do not have any respect for the old people and there are times when senior commuters are pushed physically out of the bus for taking their time to board or alight. They also make fun of the old people passing caustic remarks.   The ladies have their own problems they are also not respected in the buses the drivers and conductors pass obscene comments on the ladies and harass them. The school children are admonished for not paying the full fare but showing passes that have been given by the operators themselves.

Last Updated ( Monday, 21 July 2008 )

 

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