Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Aug 17: Despite thousands of devotees visiting Sri Mookambika Temple in Kollur every day, KSRTC does not operate regular direct bus services from Mangaluru and Udupi bus stands to the prominent pilgrimage centre, forcing passengers to depend largely on private buses or change buses en route.

The lack of direct KSRTC connectivity has also meant that many women are unable to avail themselves of the free travel facility under the state government's Shakti scheme.

While private buses operate frequently on the Mangaluru-Udupi-Kollur route, Kerala has been operating a daily bus service from Kottarakkara in Kollam district to Kollur temple.

An average of 6,000 to 7,000 devotees from Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and other states visit the temple every day. During the peak season, the daily footfall crosses 12,000.

Many devotees, particularly women, have urged the state government to introduce KSRTC services to major pilgrimage centres, including Kollur.

Nisha Kumari, a housewife, told that the government should consider introducing at least one KSRTC bus each from Mangaluru and Udupi to Kollur every day.

"Since it is a historic temple, the government should have introduced KSRTC buses so that it would benefit devotees, especially women," she said.

KSRTC Mangaluru Division Senior Divisional Controller Rajesh Shetty said a state-run bus is currently operating on the Byndoor-Kollur-Bengaluru route.

"Historically, the Kollur route has belonged to the private sector. Between Mangaluru-Udupi and Mangaluru-Kundapur, private buses have always been more predominant," he said, adding that he would look into the demand for direct services.

Guarantee panel to hold meeting

Dakshina Kannada district Guarantee Schemes Implementation Committee Chairman Bharath Mundodi said the lack of KSRTC buses to Kollur had been raised during a recent state-level committee meeting.

He said a meeting would be held soon to discuss the issue.

"Discussions in this regard are ongoing, but the primary issue is the shortage of buses with KSRTC. Procurement of extra buses has started just now. New buses are being distributed across all divisions in the state," Mundodi said.

He added that a meeting has been scheduled in Mangaluru on August 18 to review the number of new buses received by the Mangaluru division and determine how they can be deployed.

The proposed direct services are expected to provide greater convenience to devotees travelling to Kollur and enable more women to make use of the Shakti scheme.