Mangalore: Prepaid Auto Rickshaw Counters at Three Places from Jan 1
Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai (DV)
Mangalore, Dec 22: Regional transport officer C Mallikarjuna on Friday December 21 said that prepaid auto rickshaw counters will start functioning from January 1 at Kankanady railway junction, central railway station and KSRTC bus stand, Bejai.
Delivering a talk on 'Road Safety' organized by Kanara Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) at its meeting hall, Mallikarjuna said that all three counters will start functioning full fledged at the three places.
The prepaid counter at Kankanady junction, which was supposed to have started functioning from April this year, was delayed due to problems in setting up the kiosk on the part of the bank and other such obstacles, he explained.
Morever, with the pre-paid counters being set up now, printed receipts will be issued using 'simputers' instead of handwritten receipts. Three of these simputers were handed over by the KCCI to RTO on the occasion.
The RTO has also planned training its employees on soft skills. "These days, bus drivers are found to be losing their patience because of their hectic schedules. It is a tough job as they have to drive all day. Sometimes due to fatigue they lose patience, but instead of blaming or criticizing the drivers, they should be trained on soft skills. Hence, the road safety week has been organized to train them and education those who flout rules," he said.
He also raised the issue of women safety and said that in case women face sexual harassment or misbehaviour from drivers or conductors, they should note down the vehicle number, time of travel and other details and complain to the RTO. The department will take action against the culprits and may even cancel their permits, he assured.
"We believe that the people of Dakshina Kannada are intelligent. We should follow rules and help in their implementation," he added.
On the issue of tax evasion on vehicles by central government employees, he said that employees who reside in Karnataka have to pay lifetime tax to the state even if their vehicle was registered in another state, while those who have their vehicles registered in Karnataka and stay in other states can pay annual tax.
V Raman urged that drunken drivers should be punished and parking of vehicles in the city should be systematized. Judith Mascarenhas suggested that stereo systems should be prohibited in buses. Issues regarding footpaths, speed breakers, horns, signals and so on were also raised.
Nigam Vasani of KCCI, Jevan Saldana, Mohan Pai Maroor , M Ganesh Bhat were present on the occasion.