Kavoor, a fast growing suburb of the city on Airport Road, does not have proper civic infrastructure even as residents of the area are concerned about speeding vehicles.
Responding to a complaint during the weekly phone-in programme of Mangaluru city police here on Friday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Hanumantharaya asked the traffic police to man Kavoor Junction during peak hours. If need be, arrange for traffic lights to be installed at the junction, he told them.
The caller, a senior citizen, further drew police attention towards lack of bus shelters at designated bus stops towards Bajpe as well as Bondel (towards city). She said they had been braving the sun and now they have to stand in the rains too and urged the authorities to provide proper bus shelters at Kavoor.
The DCP promised her that he would bring this to the notice of the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC).
Another caller chided the police for not taking strong action against pushcart vendors who swarm the city market area in the evening.
He said police act once in a while even as these vendors obstruct movement of vehicles as well as pedestrians.
A caller from Deralakatte complained about autorickshaws overcharging to which Mr. Hanumantharaya asked the jurisdictional traffic police to take stern action against errant drivers.
He said poor people from north Karnataka visit hospitals in Deralakatte and are victims of this fleecing.
A woman from Surathkal complained about parked vehicles eating into the space on the service road below the flyover. She also said pedestrians were unable to cross the highway in front of City Lunch Home because of haphazardly parked vehicles. The DCP asked the jurisdictional traffic police to take immediate action.
Special drive against city buses next week
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) K. Lakshmi Ganesh said the traffic police will launch a special drive against city buses from next week.
Chairing a meeting of city bus operators here after the weekly phone-in, Mr. Ganesh said police have been getting frequent complaints against city buses, which range from non-issue of tickets to rash and negligent driving. Despite being told several times, the crew have not improved their conduct, he regretted.
The meeting was called as a last measure to impress upon the operators to change the working style of their crew, failing which police would initiate stern action, the DCP said.
DK Bus Operators’ Association president Dilraj Alva said the association has been striving hard to improve the functioning of the crew.
He said once again the association will prevail upon the operators to improve the working of the crew.