THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO
The Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) has been playing its own role in the ongoing COVID-19 battle -- ferrying frontline health workers to and from hospitals, assuming the role of makeshift mobile groceries, acting as a Corona response team, sanitizing public buildings et al.
And, the KTC appears all set to ply its entire fleet of buses back again as and when the government decides to open the movement of passengers and public transport.
Sunday saw the KTC workers sanitising the South district Collectorate building, a role which the workers assumed from day one since the Corona threat loomed large in the State. In fact, sanitizing bus stands and the buses has been going on from day one and the KTC will go for another round of disinfecting the bus stands from Monday.
Presently, a fleet of 40 KTC buses are plying all across the State on an average, playing different roles “ ferrying the doctors, nurses and the para-medics, distributing groceries and food as the decisions of the Corona response team. Of the total 44 buses presently in operation, 35 buses have a dedicated role in the transportation of the front line workers, including health workers.
KTC Managing Director, Venancio Furtado says the government-owned transport Corporation had joined the COVID-19 battle from day one. In fact, he says the Corporation had sensitised its staff and officials on the Coronavirus as early as February and had sanitised and started disinfecting the bus stands and buses around mid-March.
“The KTC has lent its helping hand to the government agencies in its own way, to ferry men and material across the state. Our buses were roped in to transport government employees, health workers and even migrants to the shelter camps. We played the role of mobile groceries, distributing food items on behalf of government agencies”, Venancio said.
Having purchased disinfecting pumps too early, the KTC went in for sanitizing the bus stands and its fleet of buses before the public transport operations came to a halt since the lockdown came into force last month. “We will again sanitize all the bus stands from Monday with the government roping in the KTC buses to ferry government servants to the offices. Today, our workers took up the operation to sanitise the district Collectorate buidling’, he added.
On the resumption of all full-fledge operations, the KTC MD said it all depends on the government how it goes about the lockdown. He, however, hastened to add that the KTC is all geared up to resume the operations. “We have given an action plan to the government. We are ready to ply our buses by keeping social distancing in mind”, he added.
KTC big size buses are designed to carry around 56 passengers, but with social distancing being the norm than an exception, each of the big buses may be able to ferry only around 18-20 passengers till the time the situation improves. A similar situation may face the shuttle buses, with sources in the know saying the seating capacity may come down to a mere 15 in these popular buses taking into account social distancing norms.
