Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Aug 1: Foot boards of all the city and rural transport buses have been ordered to be lowered to a level that is not higher than 52 cm from the ground. Deputy commissioner (DC) of Dakshina Kannada, Dr K G Jagadeesha, who issued this instruction, warned that the buses found to be violating this norm will face legal action.

Speaking at the district transport authority on Monday July 31, Jagadeesha said that senior citizens, women and children have been complaining about height of bus steps since many years, and hence, he has decided to crack the whip.

When some private bus owners said that rural roads have potholes and therefore foot boards are placed higher, the deputy commissioner pointed out to them that buses of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation have been able to abide by this norm. He questioned them why they cannot follow suit.

Jagadeesha felt that it would be in fitness of things to allow movement of only city transport buses in the city by blocking entry for inter city and long distance buses into the city, in view of traffic problems encountered here. He called upon bus owners and the general public to come out with their opinions about this suggestion.

When Nagarika Hitarakshana Samiti president Hanumanth Kamath complained about non-issuance of tickets in city buses continues in spite of the issue having been raised earlier, the deputy commissioner advised the buses not to force him to act against them in these aspects, and reminded them that issuance of tickets is compulsory. He also said that buses can be stopped only in bus bays in the city. He told the assistant commissioner of police that the habit of stopping buses whenever people signal them to stop, throws traffic into disarray.

The DC asked contract carriage buses to mention without exception their destinations in the boards as Pumpwell as they do not have permission to visit State Bank area. He said this rids people of the need to change buses unnecessarily.