KSRTC officials revealed that land at Balepuni, near Mudipu, has been identified for a new depot to house 100 electric buses sanctioned to Mangaluru under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme. At the Transport Adalat held at the RTO office on Monday, the KSRTC Mangaluru division noted that while the proposal has been sent for government approval, a final decision is pending. The city’s three depots, including Kuntikana with 135 buses, cannot accommodate the incoming fleet. Work will commence once the approval process is completed.
Public grievances dominated the Adalat. Mohammed Ismail, vice-president of the Dakshina Kannada District Muslim League, complained that Deralakatte city bus passengers are often forced to disembark at Pumpwell Junction, despite having tickets to State Bank bus stand, causing inconvenience, especially to senior citizens.
Activist Hanumanth Kamath raised the lack of bus connectivity to Praja Soudha, the new DC Office in Padil. RTO Shridhar K Mallad assured that the issue will be addressed at the August 18 RTA meeting, with plans to extend routes and issue new permits to KSRTC and private operators.
The RTO also warned private bus conductors to issue tickets to all passengers, stating that surprise checks and penalties will continue. Additionally, Dakshina Kannada Taximen and Maxicab Association president Dinesh Kumpala highlighted that, despite six permits on the Mangaluru-Kumpala route, only two buses are operational, with one KSRTC service also irregular. The RTO said non-compliant operators risk losing their permits.