Deputy Commissioner R. Vishal on Thursday said that stern action would be taken against private bus operators who overcharged the passengers. He was speaking at the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) meeting at the District Offices Complex Hall, here.
Earlier, Jaya Shetty, retired teacher, said that private service buses were overcharging the passengers. They were not charging the revised fares announced by the RTA a couple of months ago, he said.
Dr. Vishal said that if passengers gave the numbers of private buses, which were overcharging them, action would be taken against them. He also warned that if private buses were operating on routes other than those which were allotted to them as per their permits, they would face action.
Ramesh Kotian, General Secretary of the District Taxi Men’s Association said that nearly 700 private cars were carrying passengers and that it was affecting their business and their licences should be withdrawn.
Even some autorickshaws were taking passengers from Udupi to distant places. This was wrong. They had to operate within their given area. This too was hitting the taxi services hard in the district, he said.
Dr. Vishal directed the Regional Transport Office to check such vehicles and take legal action against them. He said that since the work on widening of National Highway 66 was nearly completion in some areas, it was essential that the owners of private buses should hold refresher courses for their bus drivers. He had already directed the officials to put up safety signs by the sides of the highway where necessary, he said.
When the issue of vehicles using vacuum horns came up at the meeting, K. Annamalai, Superintendent of Police, informed the meeting that the police had registered 370 cases against those using vacuum horns in the district.
Dr. Vishal said that the meeting of the RTA was being held regularly for the last four months.
This was the fourth such meeting and that as many as 60 cases were before the RTA in the present meeting.
