THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The KSRTC on Thursday installed eight CCTVs and opened a control room at East Fort bus bay on Thursday to ensure that private buses do not stray close to the bay. Deccan Chronicle had on August 17 reported about KSRTC banning private buses from entering the busiest bus bay. Of the 100 private bus permits issued in the city, 80 pass through East Fort at some point or another and stop at the bus bay or on opposite side.
“The land between the bus bay and median here can house one bus for a length of over hundred metres. This belongs to KSRTC, as per documents. Private buses were to pick up passengers from an unofficial Bay 2 on median. It is up to the RTA to ensure that they stop here only for few seconds. We have authority to at least not let them park on our bay,” said a KSRTC official.
“As per the permit norms, none of the private buses were expected to start or end their service at East Fort. It’s known that they stop here for very long time,” said a KSRTC official. As per KSRTC officials, there were no private owned bus stands in Kerala.
On the other hand, they have land given to them either by local body or revenue department. Meanwhile, the private bus owners contest that parts of land beside the bus bay were porambokku land. The tarred portion belonged to PWD. “We have raised the issue before PWD minister who will look into the issue,” said co-owner of an operator that has been running service in city before the formation of KSRTC.
