R B Jagadish
Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (EP)

Karkala, May 25: A meeting was held by the Udupi district administration at Karkala taluk office on Saturday May 24 to order the implementation of the high court directive regarding use of both the extended town bus stand and Bandimutt bus stand in equal measures.

Town municipal councilor Mohammed Sharif, petitioner in the case, had gone on protest continuously for three days demanding implementation of the high court order and the town municipal administration, which was in a fix, had requested him to give up his protest.

The meeting, presided over by Udupi deputy commissioner Muddukrishnan, was attended by president of the town municipal council, members, bus owners, agents, RTO, and police officials.

The pros and cons of using Bandimutt bus stand and old bus stand were discussed during the meeting. The deputy commissioner sought information from various department officials and citizens.

He ordered that all private buses plying to Mumbai should start from Bandimutt bus stand and all the KSRTC buses should compulsorily enter Bandimutt bus stand. He issued a ban on buses on Karkala main road and said instead they should use Kallotte road. The DC also ordered provision of basic facilitites at Bandimutt bus stand and construction of necessary rooms for KSRTC staff by the town municipal council.

He asked for a report from the police and the RTO regarding the buses that have been coming to old bus stand which should now come to Bandimutt bus stand, and to take suitable action in that respect.

Speaking to landowners who have not given up their land for widening of the road, he requested them to part with their land and co-operate. He asked the president of the town municipal council and municipal officials to reconstruct the buildings of their own accord. He said that action will be taken against those who have constructed buildings ignoring government directions for parking. Several owners of buildings on Karkala main road were present during the meeting.

Former president of town municipal council K P Shenoy, members Mohammed Sharif, Shubhada Rao, Giridhar Nayak, Prakash Rao, Navin Devadiga, Nalini Acharya, Bus Owners’ Association president Rajavarma Ballal, secretary Kuiladi Suresh Nayak, deputy SP Annamalai, town police inspector Kabbal Raj, rural police inspector Ravi, district development unit planning director V Prasanna, Tahsildar Babu Devadiga, chief official Mabel D' Souza, town municipal council president Rehmat N Shaikh, junior official Durga Prasad, and KSRTC officer Manjunath spoke on the occasion.