It was a short-lived joy for the techies at Technopark, Kazhakkoottam when KSRTC cancelled its circular service, operating in the campus from September 2014.
Last year, when KSRTC had stopped the service of Technopark Express, a transport service of Technopark, following an RTO nspection, the circular service was provided as an alternative. After the cancellation of this service in the first week of September, no other additional service, apart from the regular service, has been provided by KSRTC at Technopark.
“Around 1,500 employees, including the cleaning staff, travel in the circular service daily. Many are left with no option but to pay heavy charges demanded by autorickshaw drivers or walk the distance to the gate of this large campus. The available KSRTC long-distance buses are unreliable as they do not function as per its schedule,” said Rajeev Krishna, secretary of Prathidhwani, a socio-cultural organization of Technopark employees.
“With the cancellation of the express service, it was difficult to walk the long distance to reach my hostel after the late night shift. There was also a security staff in the bus, which ensured safety even at odd hours,” said Anjali Sreeranjan, member of Prathidhwani.
However, according to a KSRTC official, the service was cancelled due to the unavailability of buses and also due to poor collection from the service. “As per schedule, a KSRTC bus passes through the campus at 8.15am, 9.15am, 4.40pm, 5.50pm and 6.10pm. The schedule gets delayed due to the traffic block at Sreekaryam,” said DTO Sarith Kumar.
The representatives of Prathidhwani have sent a request to Technopark CEO regarding the issue and have also requested an alternative service in which monthly or weekly passes could be issued for daily commuters.
News: Times of India
