JnNURM-funded buses not allowed in Mangalore

The transport lobby in Mangalore restricted 35 new low-floor buses, allotted to the district under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Reconstruction Mission (JnNURM), from entering the city, citing an order from the district administration to oppose such projects.

According to civic activists, the district administration played into the hands of private bus mafia and defeated the ambitious JnNURM project. Issued on September 11 , the notification of the district magistrate was a renewal of an order issued in 1991, which restricts KSRTC buses from entering the central city bus stand in Hampankatta.

“This is the first city in the country where government buses are barred from entering the city. The private bus lobby has been influencing deputy commissioners in office from 1991 on wards to block the KSRTC buses from entering the city central bus stand, citing the congestion and pollution. In the past 22 years, the deputy commissioners who were the chairman of the Regional Transport Authority have been issuing permits to the new buses of the private operators, in violation of the order,” said a KSRTC union activist, Nagaraju. “Only when it comes to KSRTC services, the district administration is citing pollution and congestion,” he said.

The JnNURM was extended to several tier-II cities in the country, which included 35 buses being allotted to Mangalore in the first lot and another 30 being lined up for Mangalore City in the second lot, but these buses will not enter the city, making the JnNURM irrelevant for people of Mangalore.

“This is the first time that Mangalore city is getting a sizeable fund from the Centre. If the deputy commissioner’s order of 1991 is not cancelled, the JnNURM funds may go back to central government, which would be a shame for the city that is looking for funding,” Mohammad Ameen president of the Kanara Chambers of Commerce and Industry told dna.

Successive divisional controllers of KSRTC Mangalore division have appealed to the deputy commissioners right from 1991 to cancel the order. In a globalised situation, foreign companies are allowed to operate freely in the market, but a company of the Indian government is not able to operate in Mangalore.

“The city is expanding and new industries are also being set up, especially the IT-based companies. Employees of the IT industries do not wish to travel in rickety buses provided by the private operators in Mangalore.

“It is like Mangalore is being chocked by lobbies who are feeding on the people by blocking government incentives,” said Hanumanth Kamath, president of the Nagarika Hitarakshana Vedike.