------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660 Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- Buses 'crawl' in Vasco! Mormugao BJP demands RTO action against operators --------------------------------------------------- Do buses in the port town run or crawl? This seems to be question commuters travelling in city buses seem to be asking themselves, knowing that city buses virtually crawl here in Vasco. A distance of just 3.5 kilometres from Sada (Custom Colony) to Vasco city and a similar distance from New Vaddem to Vasco city, could take a bus over 30 minutes to complete the journey.The distance, claim the commuters, could be covered in less than 15 minutes, if proper stops and five minutes timings are adhered to by bus operators.
These statistics came to light during the Bharatiya Janata Party Mormugao Mandal meeting, which resolved to take law in their hands, if the Vasco RTO fails to take action against erring bus operators.
Some of the issues that came up during the meeting were the snail pace movement of buses, wherein buses took 30 over minutes to travel from Sada Custom Colony to Vasco city.Other issues that came up were eve-teasing and sexual harassment to women commuters by bus drivers and conductors, frequent breakdown of buses along the route, incomplete journey by bus drivers and overcharging of passengers.
In a letter to the Assistant Director of Transport, Vasco, president of BJP Mormugao Mandal Anant Prabhugaonkar alleged that overcrowding in buses has been the order of the day, while stopping of buses at unauthorised stops was carried out by the bus operators.
Further, he alleged that buses on the Sada-Vasco route fail to ply along the route assigned to them, thus forcing passengers to walk long distance. He also highlighted that most of the buses on the route were old and would often break down, thus putting the passengers to great inconvenience and hardships.
Prabhugaonkar demanded that more buses ply during the peak hours in the morning and evening, with strict instruction that commuters like office-going people, school and college students do not have to face hardships to reach their destinations.While this has been the hardship of passengers traveling by bus on the Sada-Vasco route, those on the New Vaddem-Vasco is no different.
Commuters alleged that the buses are packed beyond capacity and are abused by the bus conductors who often overcharge them. A commuter from New Vaddem stated that it has always been a nightmare traveling in the New Vaddem-Vasco buses.She blamed the Vasco RTO for failure to stop this menace created by the bus operators and alleged that the RTO staff only issue either licences or permits to the bus operators without looking into the hardships faced by the commuters.
Meanwhile, Assistant Director of Transport Krishna Naik when contacted confirmed that he was in receipt of the letter from the BJP Mormugao Mandal. He further stated that the moment he had received the letter he had begun to act on the same and had already called in some erring bus operators and questioned them on the harassment meted to bus passengers.He pointed out that his staff were presently working out on the street to ensure that bus passengers were not put to any hardships ---------------------------------- HERALD 23/10/03 page 4 ----------------------------------
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