mangalore today

Modern Govt buses in Udupi to be on road soon


Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Aug 29, 2016: The long awaited low-floor government city buses under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) is soon set for  fulfillment with 10 out of the 28 buses allotted to Udupi likely to hit the road here within a month.  Since the city bus stand, where private city buses are parked, is congested, a separate bus stand will come up for these low-floor buses. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), which will be running these 28 low-floor buses, has been allotted 41 cents of land, where the Old DDPI office was located, for a separate bus stand.


Modern Govt


A temporary bus stand will come up on this 41 cents of land. The dismantling of the Old DDPI office, which is on, will be completed soon. “In the course of time, a new bus stand will be constructed on the land at a cost of Rs. 4 crore,” said Vivekananda Hegde, Divisional Controller, KSRTC.

Though the Regional Transport Office (RTO) had cleared 30 route permits for these KSRTC buses, these were mostly within the city. Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister of State for Fisheries, Youth Services and Sports, said that 10 low-floored buses would operate in the city within a month.

“But we want the remaining 18 buses to operate in peripheral and suburban areas of the city because of demand from students. Hence, the RTO has to provide route permits for these 18 buses,” he said.

G. Anuradha, Additional Deputy Commissioner, said the RTO had already fixed the timings of 10 buses and the matters related to the other 18 buses will discussed in a meeting today, August 29.

Meanwhile, the KSRTC is constructing a depot for repair and maintenance of these low-floored buses on 2.6 acre land at Nittur here at a cost of Rs. 6 crore. It also includes a crew rest room, canteen and toilets. The construction of the depot will be completed by October. 

The 28 low-floor buses allotted to Udupi are 10 metres long and have 30 seats.  About 100 bus drivers and conductors for these buses had been recruited. “These drivers and conductors will receive a fortnight’s training at the KSRTC Regional Training Institute at Hassan,” he said.