The newly formed Shivamogga division of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will begin functioning from Thursday.
Earlier, the KSRTC depots in Shivamogga, Sagar and Bhadravathi cities in the district were part of the Davangere division. For administrative convenience, State government recently passed an order bifurcating the Davangere division and forming a separate division in Shivamogga. Apart from the depots in Shivamogga, Sagar and Bhadravathi, the Honnali depot in Davangere district will also come under the Shivamogga division.
Siddesh, traffic inspector of KSRTC, said 273 route schedules will be handled by the Shivamogga division — 121 route schedules in Shivamogga depot, 63 in Sagar depot, 53 in Bhadravathi depot, and 36 in Honnali depot.
Initially, the new divisional office will function out of the Shivamogga-Bhadravathi Urban Development Authority building at Vinobha Nagar. A new divisional office will be constructed on the third floor of the KSRTC bus terminal in Shivamogga city. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy will inaugurate the division at a programme in the city on Thursday.
Sixty-five buses have been sanctioned for Shivamogga city under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission(JNNURM) for intra-city public transportation. The KSRTC will construct a new depot on a seven-acre land in Santekadur on the outskirts of the city at the cost of ₹4.75 crore for operating the buses. Mr. Reddy will also lay the foundation stone for work on the depot.
