Team Herald
SANGUEM: The Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited’s (KTCL) letter to the Netravali Sarpanch threatening to suspend its lone bus service in Verlem, Salgini and Tudov indefinitely citing bad road conditions has come as a shock to the residents, who have now sought Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s intervention to prevent the corporation from doing so.
KTCL, in a letter to the Netravali Panchayat, has called for improving the road conditions in Verlem, Salgini and Tudov failing which the corporation has threatened to stop its lone bus service to these hilly areas.
In the letter, the Depot Manager states that there have been complaints from the drivers and conductors plying along Verlem, Tudov and Salgini that at some places the roads are completely in bad shape as huge potholes have been developed while at certain portions the roads are non-motorable.
The depot manager further states that the drivers claimed that plying along the roads in the hilly areas is dangerous due to the bad road conditions.
Given the precarious condition, the KTC Depot Manager has urged the panchayat officials to improve the road conditions in the hilly areas at the earliest to continue the bus service.
Netravali Deputy Sarpanch Abhijit Desai termed KTC’s letter as “unwarranted” since it is the PWD’s duty to improve the road conditions.
Dessai claimed that they have been frequently demanding that the PWD repair the road in the hilly areas.
Sources informed that a road portion falls in the Forest Department jurisdiction and the Department has been literally creating hurdles in the construction of the small portion of the road which has remained untarred till date.
Almost all roads across the State have been washed out and the KTC should also consider stopping its buses from plying on these roads as well if it wants to do so in Tudov, Salgini and Verlem, Desai said.
The lone bus plying to these hilly areas since last five years has been a great solace to the villagers especially office goers and the students. In the event of its withdrawal by the KTC authorities, the villagers will have to face extreme hardship in walking down to Netravali before heading their respective workplaces and schools.
Verlem and Salgini are located around 12 kilometres away from Netravali and the bus service was commissioned five years ago due to the efforts of former MLA Subhash Phaldessai.
However, the villagers fear that the sudden withdrawal of KTC bus service citing bad roads as the reason would force them to undergo severe hardships.
Dessai claimed that the roads to the hilly areas are not that bad as portrayed by the KTC officials. However, at certain places repairs are required and that needs to be done by the PWD. The KTC officials however, cannot hold the villagers at ransom for the bad road conditions.
