Daily commuters feel pinch due to rush in C’nagar

Mysuru: Demand to run additional KSRTC buses has got louder in Chamarajanagar district after the roll out of Shakti scheme.
School and college-going students and daily commuters are hit hard by the scarcity of buses owing to heavy load of traffic with women passengers opting for ordinary KSRTC bus services. Demonstrations were held by students demanding more buses in Hanur, Chamarajanagar, Yelandur, Kollegal and Gundlupet taluks.
Many students complained that conductors and drivers do not allow those with bus passes to board the vehicle. Given that Chamarajanagar is home to some of the most popular pilgrimage sites in Old Mysore, the shortage of buses is felt acutely by residents and visitors alike.
Students have also complained that KSRTC operated few or no buses during the peak hours in the morning, and evening, besides accusing conductors and drivers of not stopping the vehicles near educational institutions.
Currently, Chamarajanagar KSRTC division has 507 buses in its fleet operating in 408 different routes. The division operates buses to rural areas only one trip in the morning and evening hours to pick up and drop students daily along these routes. As the division is operating daily one trip this has led to students and daily commuters to hold protests, said Mahadev Nayak from Gundlupet.
There has been huge demand to operate additional buses to M M Hills, B R Hills, Bandipur, Himavad Gopalswamy Temple, Shivanasamudra Bharachukki and Gaganachukki falls like tourist destination besides from inter-taluk and inter-district bus services.
After the roll out of the scheme, a larger number of women are riding in government buses across the district. Before the introduction of the scheme, most of the men passengers were travelling on private buses, but now from last Monday majority of men are also commuting on KSRTC buses along with their women, children and other family members that has led to increase in numbers in state-run buses, said Chamarajnagar KSRTC divisional controller Srinivas.
He said that he has gathered information from depots to cater to the demand of additional buses. Going by present requirements, Chamarajanagar needs around 80 additional buses, he said.
Division sees increase in revenue
Moreover, the division has also seen an increase in its revenue collection by Rs 20 lakh a day after launching a free bus travel scheme for women. Before the launch of the scheme, the division collected between Rs 52 and Rs 54 lakh daily, but it now has risen to Rs 74 lakh, Srinivas said.
The division has estimated that 80, 000 to 90,000 women may travel daily in state-run buses, but now 1.20 lakh women travel daily in government ordinary buses. As operating additional buses is a policy division, purchasing new buses and operating additional buses will be taken at the government level, he said.