With the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) shifting operations of most of its long-distance buses to the outskirts of the City, the Transport department is now making attempts to shift the private operators as well.
The move came after the High Court recently rapped the Transport department over high levels of emission and increasing noise levels due to vehicles. Thousands of buses which ply on a daily basis are one of the major contributors to air and noise pollutions in the City.
Already, the KSRTC has shifted out about 3,000 schedules of its buses to various bus terminals in different parts of the City. Authorities feel that pollution levels cannot be brought down unless the private operators too shift from the central part of the City.
In fact, private buses, a good number of which ply illegally, outnumber KSRTC buses. Worse, these buses have various pickup points located in the heart of the City, causing traffic jams and adding to the ever-increasing noise and air pollution levels.
Transport Department Commissioner Ramegowda told Deccan Herald that private buses had to shift their operations to the outskirts of the City.
“We have already taken up the issue and talks are on with bus operators,” he said. The department proposes to shift private buses out of the City in about a month’s time.
In an effort to reduce the congestion at Majestic area, the KSRTC has decentralised its operations.
While Mysore-bound buses ply from Satellite Terminal, the buses to Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh operate from Shanthingar bus stand. Recently, the schedules towards Panaji, Mumbai, Shirdi, Pune, Goa, Hubballi, Belagavi, Kalaburgi, Vijayapura, Bidar and other places were shifted to Basaveshwara bus terminal at Peenya.
However, private operators still ply their buses from Majestic and Kalasipalya. However, shifting private operators out of the City may not be an easy task. They claim that unlike state-run corporations, they do not have workshops and depots on the outskirts of the City.
News: Deccan herald
