City bus drivers in Mangaluru continue to flout orders of top-cop, compromising public safety
A lot has been said about the carelessness and the menace the city bus drivers in Mangaluru has created on the roads of the city leading to multiple fatalities and casualties over the last few years. Several people have died due to overspeeding buses or the carelessness with which these bus drivers ply buses on the road in the city.
Several media reports have been published calling for action against these drivers and regulation for the buses and its drivers to drive with more care and while keeping public safety in mind. But the pleas of these media reports to create the awareness among the drivers have fallen into deaf ears.
Last year, former Commissioner of City Police, Kuldeep Jain, issued an order to cancel a bus stop at Bendorwell junction following a fatal accident involving a city bus. The move aimed to alleviate traffic congestion and enhance pedestrian safety. A banner was prominently displayed at the bus stop, indicating the cancellation of the stop and prohibiting city and government buses from picking up or dropping off passengers at the location.
However, the order was blatantly ignored by bus drivers, who continued to halt at the junction, disregarding the safety directive. Even in the presence of traffic police constables deployed to manage the junction, the drivers persisted in their violations. The banner, meant to inform the public about the order, was torn down, further highlighting the drivers' disregard for the rules. The traffic police almost always turned a blind-eye to these bus drivers flouting the orders of their boss, the top-cop of the city.
Jain was also subsequently transferred from Mangaluru, following which new police commissioner Anupam Agarwal took charge as the new top cop of the city. But that did not change anything, the drivers, kept flouting the order, jeopardizing the public safety and traffic cops kept turning blind eye to the violations.
Despite the confirmation from Jain himself a few days before he was transferred, that the order was in place, its effective implementation remained a challenge. The buses, particularly during peak hours at Bendorewell Circle, caused significant traffic disruptions, inconveniencing the general public. Notably, the drivers displayed aggressive behavior, honking incessantly and resorting to verbal abuse when other vehicles caused delays, asserting their lack of regard for road etiquette and safety.
Vartha Bharati attempted to contact the current Commissioner of Police, Anupam Agarwal, for a comment on the matter. However, Agarwal was unavailable for a response. It will be interesting to see if Agarwal mends the social and road behaviour or these bus drivers or gets a routine transfer like his predecessor Jain while maintaining that “the order is still in place but we are unable to effectively implement it”
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BJP is targeting one community, misusing its majority: Min. Eshwar Khandre on Waqf Amendment Bill
Bengaluru: Reacting strongly to the passage of the contentious Waqf Amendment Bill, Karnataka Minister Eshwar Khandre accused the BJP-led central government of targeting a specific community and misusing its parliamentary majority.
"The BJP-led central government is targeting a particular community and misusing its majority. We always talk about unity in diversity and it is our responsibility to take everyone along," news agency ANI quoted Khandre as saying.
Khandre further criticised the saffron party for its governance, alleging that the government had failed to address pressing issues such as unemployment and farmers' concerns. He accused the ruling party of shifting focus away from critical issues, stating that they have failed to take action and, under the guise of nationalism, are provoking the public.
The minister also pointed out that significant global concerns, such as the United States imposing reciprocal tariffs on India, were not being discussed in Parliament. “There should have been a discussion on the U.S. imposing 26 percent 'reciprocal tariffs' on India. But they don't allow any discussion on it,” he remarked.
Khandre concluded by stating that the Congress party would come to power and focus on the nation's development, in contrast to what he described as the BJP’s diversionary tactics.
The Waqf Amendment Bill, which has sparked massive controversy, was passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday by a vote of 288-232, after nearly 12 hours of debate. The Bill was subsequently approved by the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it.
