Mangaluru: Despite a last minute appeal by the state Govt.’s health minister U T Khader, to the Unions to exempt the twin coastal districts from the public transport strike today in view of the inauguration of the 19th Federation Cup Sr. National Athletics championship here, the city and express buses in the coastal belt went off roads on Thursday, April 30 to support an all-India protest against the proposed Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2014.
The roads for once, were free of traffic and commuters were seen opting for other alternatives such as two wheeler and four wheeler to go about their work.
The Motor Transport and Engineering Workers’ Union along with Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) Bus Workers’ Union had called for a day-long strike in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada district opposing the bill which according to them severely impacts the labour class. The auto rickshaw operators too in the region participated in the strike as the drivers are completely against the proposed hefty penalties proposed in the bill.
Meanwhile, KSRTC bus services too are affected in the region as well as across the State following the participation of employees in the strike. This move has impacted the commuters travelling to outskirts of Mangaluru including Kasargod, Belthangady, Sullia, Subrahmanya, Madikeri and Chikmagalur district, especially as private services are all but absent on these routes.
Some employees have taken leave today as the public transport system has collapsed. Nidhi, employed at a priavtely owned recruitment centre said she had not gone to the office and informed them of her difficulty. Similarly Javed, an employee with a grocery store said he had hitched a ride on his friend’s two wheeler to get to work.
The Bill also seeks to constitute a Road Safety Authority which will prescribe minimum safety standards for vehicles, roads and its users. The penalties/fines for traffic violations are also expected to increase drastically, thereby creating a huge deterrent for offenders, sources said. All these are in the interest of the commuter, but have created a huge scare among the drivers of the vehicles as hitherto, the rules were lax and very rarely enforced.
In another set back to Vehicle owners, especially those involved in public transport, the National Green Tribunal has banned deisel vehicles of 10 years vintage from plying on Delhi roads, and the supreme court has upheld this decision.
As per the provisions of the proposed bill, the RTOs across the country will have to maintain a National Unified Information System, thereby centralizing details on vehicle registrations, driving licences, insurance, permits, penalties and accidents which is in the best interests of road safety. It may also lead to centralization and uniformity in the road tax, with a central pool then being distributed among the states.
M’luru University postpones exams
In the wake of bus strike here, Mangaluru University has postponed all the exams that were scheduled to be held on Thursday, April 30.
The revised dates of the examinations that were scheduled to be held today are as follows : BA – IV Semester – May 12, BSc IV Semester – May 6, B Com IV Semester – May 4, BA VI Semester – May 5, BBM III Semester – May 8, BBM VI Semester – May 2, according to a release sent by the University.
