Udupi private buses being favoured by RTO, accidents peak

Udupi private buses being favoured by RTO, accidents peak

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Oct 28, 2017: Udupi in-charge minister Pramod Madhwaraj, on Oct 27, Friday warned the Udupi Regional Transport Office (RTO) against favouring private bus operators to the detriment and inconvenience of the general public.

Chairing the tri-monthly Karnataka Development Programme here, Mr. Madhwaraj said that the RTO should take action against private bus operators who were not operating buses on their route permits. The RTO should call for fresh permits for such routes. If the private sector was not ready, the permits could go to the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC).

The RTO was taking stern action for every violation of the KSRTC buses. There were complaints from people that the RTO was lenient to the point of inaction to the violations of the private buses, he said.

Gopal Poojary, MLA and Chairman of KSRTC, said that in some places, the KSRTC had given bus passes to students and others. But the private operators had found faults with them and gone to court and obtained a stay.

Now, the students had neither the private buses nor the government buses to commute. “We are ready to operate buses to all villages in the district to provide better conveyance to the people,” Mr. Poojary said.

Udupi DC Priyanka Mary Francis, said that there were complaints from the people about private buses not halting at certain stops and not providing seats to passengers on the Udupi-Karkala route. They were blaming the RTO for being passive on the issue, she said.

DC  Francis said that she had received complaints that the applications were being sold by private touts at Rs. 5 to Rs. 10 just outside the RTO office. Why were the applications not being provided at the RTO? Why was there no helpdesk at the RTO to guide people in this regard? she asked. The Assistant Road Transport Officer said that all the applications were now available online. “We will take action against those selling such applications,” he said.

Highway accidents :

On the issue of increasing number of accidents in the national highway, SP Dr Sanjeev Patil said 3,194 accidents have taken place from 2011 to September 30, 2017 in the Hejmadi-Kundapur stretch. In this, 717 deaths and 3,851 injuries are recorded.

Emphasising on the unsafe highway design, he condemned the lackadaisical approach of the national highway authority.

A structural design report which highlights the structural deficiencies of the national highway is sought by the experts from Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT). There is no speed breakers or required amount of illumination on the stretches at crucial junctions and medians. The areas are not properly lighted. Following the report based on the loopholes, the National Highway Authority of India and the concerned company will be prosecuted as per the law, he warned.

The SP said that police were not involved when the design for the stretch was made.

The Byndoor MLA alleged that the underpass work as the Navunda Junction is stopped without any prior intimation. The RBI Company which is involved in the construction work hold the deputy commissioner and assistant commissioner as responsible. However, the project director himself has ordered for the work to be stopped. The company had demanded police protection as there was public objection for the construction, which was offered. Despite the police protection and all other assurances fulfilled, the company is least bothered to resume the work which is creating problem to the pedestrians and also huge number of students, he charged.

The minister directed the DC to call a meeting of NHAI officials along with the company responsible and also asked her for spot inspection. The meeting is scheduled on November 27.

Bhatkal assistant commissioner will also be part of the meeting as he is the land acquisition officer, the DC said.