PANAJI/CANACONA
The move of the State-owned Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) to divert dozens of its buses to neighbouring Karnataka for election campaigning there allegedly at the behest of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) triggered a major row on Wednesday.
Reports said the buses were diverted there allegedly for use to ferry people to the venue of an election rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Ankola.
Nearly 70 buses were leased out for private use, a KTC source said, adding that it is within the Corporation’s rules as these buses were hired on payment of prescribed fees. KTC is hoping to earn around Rs 15 lakh, the source added.
All these buses sent from Goa were reportedly plying on various routes in the State. Sources said the KTC buses were reportedly drawn from various depots at Mapusa, Bicholim-Sanquelim, Porvorim, Vasco, Margao, etc.
It was an unusual sight to find dozens of buses proceeding along the NH66 highway towards the Polem check post after 10 pm on Tuesday night.
The buses were, however, stranded on the route, after the Karnataka RTO at Majali checkpost refused entry to the buses in Karnataka state without permits. It took some time before the RTO at Majali reportedly received instructions to allow the buses to enter into Karnataka.
Sources added that passes/permits were obtained and all the buses with only a driver and conductor were allowed to proceed to Karnataka later in the night.
In Goa, meanwhile regular bus commuters faced hardship being stranded at various KTC bus stands as the Corporation, already facing a shortage of buses to fulfill its public transportation responsibility, downsized operations on several routes.
Reports have come in that a significantly large number of people suffered waiting long hours in the sweltering summer heat due to lower frequency of bus trips on their daily commuting routes on Wednesday.
Several middle-level officials of KTCL declined to comment on the issue. Incidentally, Corporation Chairman Ulhas Naik Tuenkar who is the BJP MLA from Navelim, is among several leaders of the saffron party participating in the Karnataka campaign.
KTCL managing director Derek Netto was also not responding to calls.
The move to divert dozens of Goan buses to Karnataka for the poll campaign was widely criticised by other political parties.
Congress leader Janardhan Bhandari accused the State government and KTC of neglecting the demands of Canconkars to start bus service from Polem to the Quepem Govt College and mini-buses on all internal roads of Canacona.
“But this insensitive BJP government is now sending buses on various Goan routes to Karnataka for election campaigning of BJP at the cost of people from Goa,” said Bhandari.
The Revolutionary Goans Party also criticised the State government for assisting the BJP to win the Karnataka elections, adding that the government had been using public resources to help the BJP in Karnataka.
