PANAJI
In a move to curb congestion problems in the State capital, the Together For Panaji Association submitted a letter to relevant departments and government agencies offering a practical solution which is based on improving its public transport.In the letter, the organisation stated that the existing private buses plying in the city wait at most bus stops for more passengers. They also tend to drive slowly so that they get more passengers along the way. This strategy is proving to be counterproductive and is severely affecting the city.
A bus typically takes about 45 minutes from Dona Paula to the KTC bus stand, a distance that should ideally be covered within 15 minutes. At this speed, citizens find it inconvenient to use the buses and rather prefer to use personal vehicles. This has led to a massive increase in the number of vehicles entering the city and the congestion caused as a result.
The organisation appealed to the state and city administrations to make every effort to promote public transport and make it more and more convenient for citizens.
They also called for a strict mandate to be issued to the bus operators to follow a no-wait policy.
"The bus should pick up the passengers waiting at the stop and move immediately. The bus operator will not lose any business in this process as the mandate will be uniform for all operators. On the contrary, more people will start using public transport resulting in increased business for the private buses."
"Technology can be applied to enforcing this mandate. GPS devices should be fitted on the vehicles so that their movement can be tracked and disciplinary action taken for non-compliance. In the meanwhile, the government should deploy RTO personnel to enforce the discipline," the letter stated. The organisation has offered to assist in the effort and will file an RTI requesting the steps taken by the Government authorities.
