Udupi: Provide quality service, Palemar tells private bus operators

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• Provide social security to bus drivers and conductors: Oscar

 

Udupi, 12 February 2011: Minister for Ports and Environment Krishna J. Palemar said on Friday that private bus owners should strive to provide quality service to the passengers.

 

 

He was presiding over the inaugural function of the two-day national conference on “Bus transport management – A futuristic approach” organised by Karnataka State Bus Owners Federation and Manipal Institute of Management, here.

 

Mr. Palemar said private owners were suffering from staff shortage. They should also solve the small problems of passengers. Though the condition of roads was affecting the movement of buses, both Union and State Governments were giving priority to constructing roads.

 

Concrete roads were best suited for the Coastal districts as they received heavy rainfall.

 

Tar roads could not survive the heavy rains. Importance was now being given to construct four-lane roads. Private bus operators should also give importance to reducing smoke pollution.

 

They should not run buses which were old and created pollution. His department had found that one day break in the running of buses during the recent “Karnataka Bandh” had brought down the pollution in Bangalore by 25 per cent, Mr. Palemar said.

 

Inaugurating the conference, Rajya Sabha member and AICC General Secretary Oscar Fernandes said private bus operators should take steps to provide social security to their bus drivers and conductors.

 

The Centre was ready to contribute its share for this purpose.

 

Such a measure would help the drivers and conductor when they retired, he said.

 

Nearly 20 per cent of wear-and-tear of buses was due to potholes on the roads.

 

The Federation should also keep aside a small portion of money for research, Mr. Fernandes said.

 

Commissioner for Road Transport and Safety Bhaskar Rao said that the growth rate of private bus sector was declining, while that of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) was on a rise. The private bus owners should create a Transport Development Fund which could deal with rolling stock.

 

They should improve private bus stands and introduce modern buses.

 

The number of people owning two-wheelers was increasing by 17 per cent in the State, which meant that there was still scope for public transport to improve and develop, Mr. Rao said.

 

Chairman of Karavali Karnataka Development Authority B. Nagaraj Shetty, MP D.V. Sadananda Gowda, MLA Abhaychandra Jain, Vice President of All India Bus Owners Confederation Chittaranjan Das, President of Karnataka Bus Owners Federation Rajavarma Ballal, Registrar of Manipal University G.K. Prabhu and others were present.

- The Hindu/Udayavani