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The commissioner gave the direction following unabated complaints from commuters during the weekly phone-in programme. The callers complained that many conductors still do not issue tickets to passengers and that the crew behaves rudely with them while boarding and de-boarding buses.
The commissioner said that the crew is not under the owners’ control in leased buses as their duty is only to pay the owner a fixed daily collection. Mr Suresh also asked the traffic police were also asked by the commissioner to check whether city bus conductors hold valid conductor licence (badge) and if not, to book cases against them too.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) Uma Prashanth informed that on Thursday, the traffic police have booked over 250 cases against city buses, including 105 for rash and negligent driving, 95 for crew not wearing uniform and 50 for not issuing tickets. The drive would continue, she said.
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There are 350-odd city buses plying in the city, of which some might have been leased out by permit-holders. Only genuine owners having permits are the members of the association while the persons operating buses on lease are not, said Dilraj Alva, president of DK Bus Operators’ Association, the organisation of Mangaluru city bus operators.
The association has been coaxing members to introduce electronic ticketing machines and the efforts are paying with the numbers gradually increasing, he added.
Roads encroached
Responding to a caller from State Bank area that roads in Bunder have been encroached upon by scrap dealers who have dumped all kinds of scrap on the flanks of roads, Mr. Suresh asked the traffic police to book cases under Section 283 of the Indian Penal Code against offenders.
Illegal sand extraction
A caller from Taladapdy informed the Commissioner that sand was being illegally extracted from rivulet-islands and the beach around Batpady and then transported to Kerala. The jurisdictional police are not acting, he alleged. Mr. Suresh said stringent action would be taken to curb the activity.
Illegal ‘no parking’ boards
Former MLA K. Vijaykumar Shetty said that many commercial establishments putting their own ‘no parking’ signs in front of their establishments illegally, and despite his repeated complaints the police have not yet acted.
Establishments cannot claim ownership of public space in front of their premises and prevent public from using the space for parking of their vehicles, he said.
“They cannot occupy public space; we will take stringent action,” said Mr Suresh and also explained that the police have been removing such unauthorised signs and are booking cases against establishments. The initiative will continue, the SP assured Mr Shetty.