Mangalore: New Zonal Colour Code for Buses from May
The Hindu
MANGALORE, Apr 1: Traffic congestion in the busy Hampankatta area here is likely to be cleared after a month as all buses cannot enter the State Bank of India city bus terminus from May.
The Regional Transport Authority (RTA) took a decision to this effect at a meeting here on Monday.
Colour coding will help identifying buses which have permits to operate from the SBI bus terminus and the service bus stand. It will also help identifying buses which have been permitted to operate from Mangaladevi, Kankanady, Kottara and Mallikatta satellite bus-stands in the city.
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M. Maheshwar Rao, chairman, RTA, who presided over the meeting, said that buses which had been given permits to ply from SBI terminus and service bus stand would be under Zone I. They would be pasted with stickers of a specific colour. Buses given permission to ply from satellite bus-stands to other places would come under Zone II and carry stickers of different colours, he said.
“The buses will be required to adhere to their zones. They cannot enter other zones. Violation of zonal rules may result in cancellation of their permits,” Mr. Rao said and added that stickers of specific colours would be pasted on all the buses within one month.
At present, many buses which have permission to ply from satellite bus-stands to other areas are also plying from the SBI terminus. This has resulted in traffic congestion in the heart of the city.
R. Sadashiva, Regional Transport Officer, Mangalore, said that the Transport Department conducted a survey of buses entering the SBI bus terminus and service bus stand on February 21. It was found that buses made 3,700 trips to these bus-stands between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. that day. Of them, 50 per cent did not have permission to enter these two bus-stands.
It was decided at the meeting that a committee, headed by the Superintendent of Police of Dakshina Kannada, be constituted to prepare a report on re-opening of pre-paid taxi counters at the Central Railway Station here.
It was decided to re-open a pre-paid taxi counter at the KSRTC bus-stand at Bejai.
Rao deliberated with the autorickshaw drivers and people on a proposal to revise the auto fares in the city. However, no decision was taken.