It has been pointed out that social distancing is not being followed anymore in buses run by the Kadamba Transport Corporation, especially in its special fleet catering to the staff of the Secretariat in Porvorim, other offices and shuttle buses. A video uploaded on social media shows how standing passengers are pushing and jostling one another. It is absolutely impossible to maintain social distancing in such circumstances. Hence in order to maintain social distancing in the buses, it would be in the fitness of things for these vehicles to run at half capacity. If two or three passengers are allowed to sit on a seat with two or three sitting capacity respectively, it becomes impossible to maintain social distancing. Only one passenger should be allowed per seat. No standing passengers should be allowed. In order for the buses to carry only 50 per cent of its capacity, more buses of the KTCL may have to be deployed on busy routes in order to deal with the rush of passengers. The state-run corporation may not be able to make a profit by following this protocol. But then the government needs to do everything possible to stop the proliferation of the novel coronavirus which is spreading at an alarming rate. Private buses, which have started plying also need to follow the same protocol and standard operating procedure (SOP) for the moment.
