Mangaluru: A Road Transport Authority (RTA) meet was held with certain citizen associations and the RTA heads in the DC office on Wednesday, September 21. Superintendent of Police, District Commissioner and the Road Transport Officer conducted the meeting with local representatives of associations and unions.
Several demands and suggestions were raised in the meeting with regard to private and public transport corporations especially buses. Many representatives submitted their memorandum to the DC with their own request and suggestions to add new buses or work on the old ones.
Environmentalist and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee secretary B S Hasanabba Ammembal submitted a memorandum to the DC with his request for the buses to go through Mangaluru University. “Majority of Konaje’s private and public buses must go into the university campus and then continue its journey to Konaje. Students of the university and other travelers have to alight on the main road and walk quite a distance to reach the university,” Hasanabba said.
Other people too expressed their thoughts about how many other routes of buses need to be changed and many other routes to be added to help the passengers and daily travelers. Few passengers who came to the meet mentioned that majority of the private buses do not complete their last trips in the night as they stop plying after they have made enough profit, leaving tired and hungry passengers on the road waiting for the bus which never come.
The various threats that the private bus drivers and operators pose to the citizens were also discussed in the meeting. The issues of no uniform for bus driver and conductor, shrill horns used, private buses racing on the roads and others were raised which the DC patiently heard.
DC Dr. K G Jagadeesh said that it would be too early for him to conclude on any topic now. “Major issues of bus owners and travelers have been addressed and our team will make sure that solutions to the queries and memorandums are given in the next meeting which will happen in another two months,” Jagadeesh added.
