Team Herald
PANJIM: The third phase of the lockdown, with relaxations on bus transport, started off on a bad note with many bus passengers stranded at their pick-up points after the day’s work. The count of passengers at Panjim KTC Bus Stand began to increase from around 5.30pm with no buses to ply them to their destination.
Private buses also remained off the roads as they will resume operations from Tuesday. Sudip Tamhankar of the All Goa Private Bus Owners Association said that bus operators would initially experiment with two buses on each route.
The situation at Panjim bus stand was quite disturbing when government employees, who have been using KTC buses on a daily basis, were suddenly deprived of the service. With all operations shut from 7pm, panic grew. Herald brought this to the notice of KTC General Manager Sanjay Ghate after which he arranged three buses to rescue the stranded passengers.
Herald spoke to some stranded passengers a little after 5pm, and they claimed they had left for home at their usual time, which the bus drivers are aware of but there was no bus. “We are waiting since 4.30pm. I return home by the same bus that drops me to my office. But the bus has still not arrived although I am in time,” said a government employee, who along with a few others was waiting at Panjim market.
A few others didn’t waste their time waiting for the bus and walked till the ferry wharf. A woman government employee, accompanied by her colleagues, said, “We have to go to Chodan. Waiting further will be a waste of time and after 7pm there won’t be any transport. We will use the ferry service today.”
Many others complained that their bus drivers asked them to use alternative transport. As it was around 5.30pm, some had already walked till the bus stand but found that it was in vain, as buses had still not reached.
Herald contacted Ghate, who then arranged for three buses for most of the passengers who were from Valpoi, Marcel and Bicholim. “The government departments should relieve their staff, dependent on buses, by 5pm so that the KTC drivers pick them from their office,” he suggested, adding, “As per the MHA guidelines, movement of people is banned from 7pm to 7am. Since today (Monday) is the first day, there would be some teething problem.”
By 7pm, KTC buses arrived to pick the stranded passengers. KTC buses are also used by the general public, some of whom, made their own arrangement during their return.
Meanwhile, private buses will come on to the road on Tuesday. “We will resume operations from Tuesday. Every route will have two buses to ferry passengers from one point to another. If there is a flow of passengers, then we may increase. It is on an experimental basis for four days,” he told Herald, after a meeting with the association members on Monday evening.
The Association has conveyed to Transport Director Rajan Satardekar about seeking support prices or subsidy ‘if there is any problem’. In addition to seeking an extension of insurance and fitness payment, the bus operators sought a waiver of passenger tax and road tax considering that they did not ply the buses during the lockdown period.
—
State Govt to hire private buses to meet shortfall
The government has proposed to temporarily hire private buses to ply passengers, a step that would ease the burden on KTCL-run buses.
Sources told Herald that the proposal was put forth during a meeting on Monday wherein the North Goa bus operators have sought time to take a call, while their counterparts in South have given agreed to this.
“The buses have begun to ply but with only 50 per cent passengers allowed in a single bus. The requirement of public transport could be more. Hence, it was proposed that KTCL hire private buses at a fixed rate until further development. The profit or loss, through this initiative, would be the domain of the Corporation,” an official said. Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho and the Transport Director were among the officials who attended the meeting with the bus operators. It is learnt that the bus operators are not ready to ply with for 50 per cent coverage of passengers citing it would lead to a loss in revenue.
