Private vehicles flout norms, make merry

DHARWAD: The mushrooming of private passenger carriages like tumtums and four-wheelers in the city limits seems to have taken a toll on the business of the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC).
When such vehicles make merry between Dharwad city and extension areas like Kamalapur, Ram Nagar, Kelgeri, Nuggikeri, Madhihal, Murgarajendra Nagar and Tapoovan, many NWKRTC buses are forced to ply with empty seats.
Throwing the rules laid down by RTO to the winds, these vehicles pick up excess number of passengers and charge less. Passengers rue that the authorities concerned are not acting tough against such vehicle owners.
Apart from affecting the revenue of NWKRTC, these vehicles add to traffic problems in the city as they haphazardly park on road sides. As they don't have any definite parking slot, these vehicles pick passengers by stopping at anywhere outside the old bus stand of Dharwad.
"I travel from Ram Nagar to CBT frequently in private carriages as the fare is less compared to NWKRTC buses and they are available at any time. Around five private vehicles ply in our area and only those who have bus passes depend on NWKRTC buses," said Prasad Halkarni, a passenger.
Another passenger Sanjay B from Kelgeri said day by day the number of vehicles like Tata Magic, Tata Ace, Tata Ape and tumtum is increasing. Drivers of such vehicles often carry passengers more than it could accommodate with an eye on money and put people's lives at risk. The non-availability of buses on fixed timings is also prompting people to depend on of private vehicles, he added.
Official Quotes:
"We have informed traffic police as these vehicles are hitting hard on the revenue of the NWKRTC besides putting the lives of passengers at risk. Traffic police should take stringent action against such vehicle owners. We will also increase the number of trips in the city limits
R I Dodmani, assistant traffic manager, NWKRTC, Dharwad.
We have issued notices to around 150 vehicle owners who have violated rules and ferried excess passengers. Officials are keeping a watch on private vehicles
S M Joshi, traffic DCP.