Buses that curtail service under scrutiny

KOCHI: The district administration has decided to  act tough on bus operators who curtail their services without intimation, with District Collector Sheik Pareeth giving instructions to the RTO to cancel permits of erring bus drivers. Buses that avoid services, especially on Sundays and at nights, will be under scrutiny.“To start with, we are going to conduct surprise checks. We will serve showcause notice on those bus operators who have committed the same offence thrice. Then the case will be forwarded to the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) that would ultimately decide whether to cancel the permit or not,” RTO T J Thomas said.Buses plying on circular routes of  Vyttila-Thammanam-Vyttila and Eroor-Tripunithura-Eroor are the usual offenders. Buses plying on the Thammanam road are reluctant to operate after 8 pm as the number of commuters during night hours is very low. In Vennala, commuters are having hard times as most buses do not operate on Sundays.The Vennala Residents Association, Pallinada Residents Association and Thammanam Bus Passengers Association have lodged complaints in this regard in the high court. “The traffic is being deviated as the works of Ponnurunni rail overbridge is on. But the works have been put on hold following the bursting of the pipeline of the Kerala Water Authority. KWA officials say it would take 10 to 16 days to repair it. As a temporary arrangement, normal traffic will be restored till the work of the overbridge resumes,” the RTO said.Besides, steps would also be taken to redress the complaints of action councils, commuters and the KSRTC, he said.