Mayor, civic chief shun pvt vehicles, travel by KMT buses

Kolhapur: Observing ‘

no vehicle day

,’ mayor Surmanjiri Latkar travelled to the

Kolhapur

Municipal Corporation (KMC) building in a Kolhapur Municipal Transport (KMT) bus on Tuesday while civic chief Mallinath Kalshetti rode a bicycle from his residence to office.

Besides Latkar and Kalshetti, several corporators shunned their private and officials vehicles and opted for public transport. Some officials who reside close to their offices chose to walk.

Latkar, along with some local corporators, boarded a KMT bus to Shivaji Chowk in the morning. She was greeted by passengers who lauded her initiative. After alighting from the bus, Latkar walked to the municipal corporation building where the mayor’s office is located.

Among others who travelled by bus were standing committee chairman Sharangdhar Deshmukh and transport committee chairman Abhijit Chavan. They boarded a bus from Saneguruji Vasahat to Shivaji Chowk.

“We have unanimously decided to observe ‘no-vehicle day’ on the last day of every month. This was our first no-vehicle day. On this day, we will avoid using our official and private vehicles. I, along with some of the corporators, travelled in a bus. With so much traffic and pollution, it is important for everyone to undertake and support such initiatives. Our initiative serves both the purposes — reduces private vehicles on roads and reduces air pollution. We had appealed to the citizens to take part in this initiative. Respecting our appeal, many citizens shunned their private vehicles and travelled either by the buses or rickshaws,” said Latkar.

With more people using public transport such as KMT buses, they have contributed their bit to the revenue generation of the ailing public transport.

It took around 30 minutes for the civic chief to reach the municipal corporation building from his residence in Tarabai Park. “My fellow officers travelled by KMT buses. Some of them joined me with their bicycles. The intended purpose will be addressed by this initiative and will also help improve our health, especially of those who travel by bicycle as it is a good exercise,” said Kalshetti.

The visible effect of the initiative was seen in the Vitthal Ramji Shinde Chowk which is usually overcrowded with the vehicles of corporators, officials and visitors. The said area looked deserted even on a working day.


Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.