Mangaluru : The Karnataka State Road Corporation (KSRTC), Mangaluru Division, has filed fresh applications before the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) for 15 routes to operate city buses under the Jawharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) after getting a feedback from the public.

A special meeting of the Regional Transport Authority scheduled to consider these applications on April 30 had to be deferred following the delay in the Division getting approval for the routes from its Central Office in Bengaluru. The new date is yet to be announced by the Regional Transport Authority.

During the last meeting, the Regional Transport Authority as well as the public had asked the corporation to identify such routes where the services (private buses) are less and where there is a need for buses. Initially, the Regional Transport Authority, which had given permits for 18 of the 35 JNNURM buses, was reluctant to give permits for the remaining 17 buses from State Bank, on the ground that the State Bank area cannot hold any more buses.

The corporation had received a feedback from the public about the need for services, after which it conducted a traffic survey to gauge the potential of the route demanded. Divisional Controller Vivekanand Hegde told The Hindu that benefit to commuters as well as operational sustainability were the two factors considered by the corporation before finalising the routes. Since the corporation offers free and concessional bus passes to students and other identified categories of people, it wanted the benefits to be passed onto the deserved categories.

Many of the destinations identified by the corporation to be serviced from State Bank have minimal public transport service. They include Land Links, Boliyar, Ira, Eliarpadavu, Adyapadi, Porkodi, Akash Bhavan and Shediguri. Besides these less-serviced routes, KSRTC also opened up to suggestions to operate services on circular routes clockwise and anti-clockwise. It would deploy two buses on equal number of circular routes identified if permits are given. The routes are, State Bank-Kudroli-Ladyhill-Bejai-Kadri Kambala-Mallikatte-Bendorewell-Mangaladevi-Bolar-Pandeshwara-State Bank and Falnir-Highland-Kankanadi- Pumpwell- Naguri-Alape-Padil-Kembar-Maroli-Bikarnakatte-Bunts Hostel-State Bank.

The Regional Transport Authority had recently given permit to KSRTC to operate a city bus service from State Bank to Ulaibettu, which is located about 14 km from the city off Mangaluru-Moodabidri Road.

Mr. Hegde further said there was much demand for the service and a Grameena Saarige coach is doing five round trips every day on the route.