Silvester D'Souza, Yahya Hallare
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)
Kundapur, Mar 6: Byndoor MLA and chairman of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), K Gopal Poojary, assured that KSRTC will soon introduce buses on rural routes where currently bus services are not available. He noted that this will benefit the students and rural people who are currently facing the problem of having to walk long distances everyday.
He spoke after inaugurating the Volvo bus services between Mangaluru and Bhatkal on Sunday March 5 along with Bhatkal MLA, Mankal Vaidya. All nine Volvo buses which are proposed to be run on this route were lined up for this purpose. This service was hitherto available only between Manipal and Mangaluru. "The people had requested to extend this service to Kundapur and Bhatkal, and we have acceded to their plea. Nine high tech Volvo buses will be run by KSRTC between Bhatkal and Mangaluru from today onward. The fare has been brought down from the proposed Rs 225 to Rs 200. People from the region should reap the benefit of this service," he advised.
Last of these buses was to leave Mangaluru for Bhatkal at 3.45 pm as per the timetable already announced. The minister said that as per the demand of the locals who said that it would be at least 6 pm by the time they finish their work, shopping and doctors visit at Mangaluru, the last bus will now leave Mangaluru at 6.45 pm. Poojary said that this is one of the people-friendly measures undertaken by KSRTC to facilitate people to travel comfortably and speedily.
Poojary said that state level officials of KSRTC will arrive at Byndoor on March 10 to take stock of the situation towards building a KSRTC bus stand and depot here. He assured that work on the bus stand depot will begin within two to three months.
Mankal Vaidya thanked Poojary for making this service possible. He said that Gopal Poojary, by taking this initiative within a few days of taking charge of KSRTC, has shown his determination and political will to serve people. He said that people can approach Poojary later with request for additional buses on this route, if the service presently made available is used by them fully.
Divisional controller of KSRTC, Vivek Hegde, former zilla panchayat president, S Raju Poojary, zilla panchayat member, Gouri Devadiga, taluk panchayat members, Raju Devadiga, Jagadish Devadiga, Jagadeesh Poojary and Prameela Devadiga, Yadthare gram panchayat former president, Nagaraj Shetty, president of Mookambika Railway Yatri Sangha, Venkatsh Kini, general secretary of Majlis-E-Islah wa Tanzeem, Altaf Kharoori, vice president of the organization, Inayatullah Shabandri, Congress local block president, Vittal Naikand, and others were present.