PONDA: Overcrowding and overspeeding seems to be the order of the day in Ponda.
During rush hour, buses proceeding towards the bus stand and later to their respective destinations are often found overcrowded and overspeeding. One finds many passengers putting their lives at risk by standing on the doors of these overcrowded buses thereby violating the rules.
During rush hours, the bus drivers and conductors dangerously board passengers especially school children, who are packed inside the cabin.
The buses proceeding to the industrial estates at Bethora and Marcaim are overcrowded during office hours. In Bethora, except Dattagad in wards, which are more than two kilometres away from the main road, there are no bus facilities and the residents are forced to walk their way home.
Viraj Sapre, a social worker says he regularly witnesses the race among the buses in boarding passengers from Usgao to Ponda to make that extra buck. The drivers and conductors board passengers beyond capacity especially school students, forcing them to sit inside the cabin, thereby risking their lives. At times two-three Usgao buses are found dangerously racing against each other just to pick up passengers.
“I often notice these buses race near the Saint Mary’s High School, where school children board and alight from the bus. Whenever I inform the traffic cell, the police act only for a day or two but later violations continue.”
“Bus drivers and conductors commute without proper badges and uniforms and at times, the driver is found wearing a T-shirt. During rush hour, dangerous overtaking takes place and as such there is every possibility of an accident. Some drivers are often found to be talking on their mobile phones while driving,” Sapre added.
“Instead of cracking down on the overspeeding and overcrowding in buses in Ponda, traffic police are found busy issuing challans to vehicles at bypass road.”
Umesh Naik says, “Traffic congestion at the Ponda bus stand is mainly due to bus operators. Not only at the bus stand but also in the town, these bus drivers cause traffic snarls. When the drivers move out their buses from the stand, they travel at a snail’s pace and pick up passengers at unauthorised stops, which leads to traffic congestion. There is need to bring in discipline among them for the safety of passengers and other road users.”
