With the success of the Shakti scheme which allows female passengers to ride in public transport for free, the number of people who travel via public transport has increased. In order to ensure that these passengers face no obstruction owing to lacunas in infrastructure, the Karnataka Transport Department has requested the government’s approval for hiring close to 9,000 more personnel. In addition, it is also looking to expand its bus fleet. Here are the details.
Karnataka Transport Department Seeks Government’s Approval
After the Shakti Scheme took off, passenger footfalls and daily revenue increased significantly. In order to accommodate this new increasing demand easily, the transport minister of Karnataka, Ramalinga Reddy, has sought the government’s approval for hiring another 8,944 employees.
The personnel will be across various profiles like bus drivers, conductors, technicians, etc. In addition to hiring new employees, the Karnataka Transport Department is also requesting an additional 4,000 buses.
This will ensure that the increasing number of passengers and footfalls are accommodated without much discomfort on the part of the passengers. According to an article recently published by The Indian Express, all four road corporations of the state have recorded an increase of ₹4 crores.
The four corporations are the North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation or the NWKRT, Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation or the KKRTC, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation or the BMTC, and the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation or the KSRTC.
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Other Details About The Requested Approval
The BMTC has also requested the government’s approval for hiring 2,000 drivers and 1,000 drivers-cum-conductor. As for buses, it has issued work orders for 921 electric buses and 840 diesel buses.
Since diesel prices have gone up and purchasing diesel vehicles is no longer feasible for the government, the Managing Director of the BMTC stated that this will be the last tranche of diesel vehicles.
Facilitating public transport is an excellent way to improve infrastructure without harming the environment a lot given that many people can travel on relatively low fuel consumption.
Also Read: Travelling To Any Eco-Tourism Site In Karnataka? You Are Now Insured By The State Forest Dept
What do you think about this step taken by the Karnataka transport department? Let us know in the comments below!
Cover Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons