Pics: Justin Dsilva

Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (JD)

Udupi, Jul 23: As per the decision taken by private bus operators, district administration and KSRTC, private buses have started their operations in Udupi district from Thursday July 23.

Private city, service and express buses have started their operations to various parts of the district. As the occupancy is very less, private bus operators have decided to start only minimum services. Around 35 city, shuttle and express busses have started operations from Udupi city on Thursday. Under the new guidelines, inter-district movement is allowed between Udupi and Dakshina Kannada and Udupi-Shivamogga buses have started their service on these routes also. Some private express and service busses have started operation from Thursday between Udupi and Mangaluru.

KSRTC had also decided to start its JNNURM and other services from Thursday onwards. But only inter-district and inter-taluk services have been started by KSRTC division. KSRTC Udupi on Thursday started services between Udupi to Karkala, Kundapur, Hebri, Hejamady, Shivamogga, Hubballi, Bengaluru, Chikkamagaluru, and Haveri. Two buses are being operated between Kundapur-DC Office Manipal and Hejamady-DC office Manipal. But the most needed JNNURM city buses of KSRTC have not begun their service yet.

In the meeting on Wednesday, KSRTC officials had agreed to operate JNNURM buses from today. But on Thusrday, not even a single JNNURM bus was seen on road. Sources said that KSRTC Udupi depot is encountering driver unavailability issue as their most of JNNURM bus drivers are from outside Udupi district.

As private city buses are operating on limited routes and on account of non-operation of JNNURM busses, people of Udupi are reportedly struggling to reach their daily work places.