From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Oct 2: All the buses in the different State Road Transport Corporations, including Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), will be run on bio-diesel in the next four to five months.

The State Transport Department has taken this decision to encourage the use of bio-diesel and also help the farming community besides reducing environmental pollution.

The first batch of 10 buses running on bio-diesel were flagged off by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru on Friday.

The Union Petroleum and Natural Gases Ministry issued a gazette notification in August 10, 2015, allowing transporters to run buses on bio-diesel from 20 per cent blending to 100 per cent.

KSRTC has turned out to be the first transport company after the Union government’s order to run buses on bio-diesel.

Karnataka’s Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said all the operational cost of buses would also come down drastically because bio-diesel costs lesser than the regular diesel.

The State Transport Department would save about Rs 50 crore a year by operating buses on biodiesel.

Buses run on bio-diesel are also environment friendly, the minister explained.

Chain-snatchers to be booked under Goonda Act

With several chain snatching cases reported in the city, Home Minister K J George on Friday said the police have been told to book habitual chain-snatchers under the Goonda Act.

He said repeated chain-snatching incidents have created panic among women, who now think twice before going for a walk alone.

Speaking to presspersons after paying floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his 147th birth anniversary at the Vidhana Soudha, George said the police have not been able to contain chain snatching cases as culprits involved in such cases obtain bail from the court easily.

The minister said the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) are not strict enough to deal firmly with these offenders. So the police in many cases have not been able to take strict action against them.