Pics : Umesh Marpalli
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (HB)
Udupi, Aug 7: Representatives of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) briefed about the proposed improvement of the KSRTC bus service in the state, at a press meet at DC conference hall in Rajatadri here on Monday, August 7.
Chairman of KSRTC Gopal Poojary said, "A high-tech KSRTC bus port, a bus depot, will come up at Bannanje, on 2.5 acres of land at the cost of Rs 30 crore. It will be reserved as a parking area for KSRTC buses. All basic infrastructure including food outlets and a shopping mall will be included. Guddali puja (groundbreaking ceremony) for the same will be performed in a month's time. The depot will have the capacity to accomodate 1,000 buses."
"Guddali puja will be held for another KSRTC bus stand near the service bus stand. It will be built at the cost of Rs 4 crore. There is also a desire to have two KSRTC bust units in Udupi. It all depends on bus availability in the district. The government provides subsidies for buses in other states, unlike Karnataka," he further said.
"There is a lot of demand for state buses in the rural areas like Navunda, Uppunda, and Byndoor, among others. It is a necessity there. KSRTC will soon introduce buses services on rural routes where they are not available at present," he assured.
"We have asked for 16 permits in addition to the 55 that already exist," Poojary informed.
"Two new bus units are proposed for Byndoor and Karkala. Land has been earmarked by the government at Byndoor, if it gets approved, work will start immediately. Land has not been allocated in Karkala yet," he said and instructed officials to reserve Rs 10 crore for the construction of the bus unit.
"The Kundapur depot, with all its infrastructure, will soon be shifted to Hattiyangadi. 5 acres of land has been identified in Hattiyangadi. Buses will be extended to Kaup and other rural areas too. The old KSRTC buses will soon be replaced," Poojary added.
Regarding Supreme Court cancelled permits for JNNURM buses, Umashankar said, "We have submitted an appeal to the court regarding the schedule, and explained the problems. Now 12 buses are running on a temporary permit basis.
"We are not here to compete with private buses for profits. Our aim is to provide good service to the people. A special package will be announced for the twin districts to avoid a shortage of buses," he said.
"The department will purchase 1706 new buses. As many as 850 old buses will get replaced. Of them, 121 will be Volvo and remaining are Ashok Leyland buses.
"There is a demand for two buses on the Mangaluru-Kumta route. By the end of this month, we will provide buses where they are needed," Umashankar assured.
"Nearly 17.5 lac students have a bus pass. Among them, 4.5 lacs are from the reserved community. These students have been provided free pass till the seventh standard. Others are offered pass at 25% of the fare. The department gets funds from Directorate of Urban Land Transport, and not from the government. The state has stopped providing subsidies for students' passes. In fact, it was decided that the government will work on a 50:50 model. The buses have survived only by their excellent service.
"Private buses are dominating in Udupi, which is why the department has struggled a lot to establish itself in Udupi. The private players are concentrating on recovering the a balance amount. The government buses, on the other hand, do not work for for gaining profit. They have violated all the rules and regulations, which are supposed to be followed. The KSRTC officials will hold a discussion on loopholes of private bus services," said Umashankar.
KSRTC managing director S R Umashankar addressing the gathering said, "KSRTC is planning to provide more and better services to the public. There are 23,500 north-west, northeast and BMTC buses operating in the state. Various facilities are being installed in 8,000 buses. KSRTC has occupied the first place in state transport service and has set the standard in the nation. KSRTC has also entered the Limca Book of Records for its service.
"The department gives priority to maintenance of buses and safety of the passengers. There are 81 depots and 16 divisions set up in the state. KSRTC has fewer accidents and breakdown cases in the nation. The recruitment process also takes place transparently. Disciplinary skill is provided to employees," said Umashankar, confident about KSRTC meeting high expectations of people.
"We will install RO plants in all the bus stands, with small sized bottles, at a cheap price. We have obtained licenses for 52 JNNURM buses and permission for 32 routes in Udupi," he added.