The Hindu : Private buses move to RMC Yard stand

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 12, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Private buses move to RMC Yard stand

By Our Staff Correspondent

Mysore Jan. 11. The private bus stand near the RMC Yard here became functional on Saturday, bringing to an end the standoff between the bus operators and the administration.

The operators were not using the bus stand on the grounds that its location was not ideally suited from the passengers' point of view. However, the City Police Commissioner, Bipin Gopalkrishna, persuaded them to use the new bus stand in the interest of passengers.

The Mayor, T.B. Chikkanna, flagged off the buses this morning, marking the end of a vexed issue which haunted the city for nearly two years. The private operators' grouse was that the bus stand was not ideally located and the routes leading to it were already congested. They preferred the Doddakere Maidan, while a few insisted on staying put at Chatri Mara or the People's Park from where they were evicted by the police earlier. However, the operators relented after the police modified certain routes, authorising private buses to ply via Sayyaji Rao Road.

Shamanna, President of the Private Bus Owners' Association, said the bus operators were reluctant to take a detour as suggested in the past and hence were opposed to shifting to the new stand. It was pointed out that the duration of the journey between Mysore and T.Narsipur was an hour, but private buses were told to ply via Chamaraja Double Road, Ramaswamy Circle, JLB Road, Metropole Circle, Railway Station, and Seshadri Iyer Road which used to take an additional 30 minutes. But the new route via Sayyaji Rao Road had solved the problem.

However, the businessmen on the road have expressed resentment over the modifications in the bus routes. The Sayyaji Rao Road Traders' Association has said that a ban on vehicle parking will hurt their interests and make it cumbersome for customers to visit the shops. The move will cripple business in the area.

The association passed a resolution urging the City Police Commissioner to withdraw the regulation on vehicle parking on the road. Police said they would study and monitor the vehicle pattern for a few days and suggest modifications to ensure the smooth vehicular traffic.

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