RTO Seizes 5 Buses for Violating Permit Conditions
Mangaluru: On a surprise check on contract carriage buses, the Transport Department officials were able to seize five contract carriage buses for violating permit conditions, and have decided to recommend to the state transport authority to initiate strict action against them. According to G S Hegde, In-Charge Senior Regional Transport Officer, these buses were found repeatedly violating the permit conditions and hence they were seized. The owners of these buses were requested to produce the original permit, which would be forwarded to the state transport authority for further action, could be cancellation of their permits.
It is learnt that these buses are not supposed to enter into the heart of the City-they has to alight all the passengers near Kankanady Pumpwell circle itself. As contract carriage services, they have to operate on contract with a group of passengers and cannot ferry individual passengers. However, it has been noticed that all buses violate these e conditions and enter State Bank area with impunity. About 50 buses ply between Mangaluru and other towns namely Puttur, Vitla, Uppinangady, Belthangady and other places.
It has also been found that they also operate as regular carriage buses picking up and dropping individual passengers. Many complaints about such practices had been raised by activists, and also KSRTC too had filed a complaint with the Lokayukta, stating that the contract carriage buses involved in such practices were denting KSRTC’s revenues. Crack down on such buses violating the norms will continue, even Puttur RTO has been directed to take action against such buses under his jurisdiction.