Mangaluru: Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal, during his inaugural meeting with city bus operators, officials from the Transport Department, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC), Mangaluru Smart City Limited, and the National Highways Authority of India, requested the Mangaluru Regional Transport Officer to reevaluate the city bus schedules within the next month. This step aims to curb the competition among service routes by discouraging overspeeding.

In response to this request, Agrawal also urged the NHAI and the Mangaluru City Corporation to expedite the construction of bus shelters, including those at Thokkottu and 53 other locations within Mangaluru city, with a deadline of one month.

Aziz Parthipady, President of the Dakshina Kannada Bus Owners’ Association, highlighted the significant increase in traffic volume in the city, especially on routes with multiple buses, since the issuance of route permits that mention specific timings. This prompted the need for immediate adjustments to bus timings.

During the meeting, Agrawal also inquired about the progress of constructing the 53 bus shelters based on a letter from his predecessor, Kuldeep Kumar R. Jain, to the corporation. The Mangaluru City Corporation Deputy Commissioner (Development), J. Mahesh, expressed unawareness of the letter and stated that their current focus was on repairing potholes.

Agrawal expressed his dissatisfaction with the delay in pothole repairs, revealing that traffic police had to fill potholes in some locations themselves. Anirudh Kamath, NHAI Assistant Executive Engineer, mentioned that heavy nighttime rains were hindering their efforts to address potholes at Nantoor, Paduva, and KPT junctions on NH 66. He suggested the need to divert traffic in the morning for effective pothole repair.

Agrawal warned that if potholes were not promptly addressed, the relevant agencies would be held accountable in case of accidents, underscoring his commitment to road safety. He shared videos of recent accidents caused by reckless bus driving, which resulted in the injury and death of bus conductors and other motorists.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (Law and Order) Sidharth Goyal and DCP (Crime and Traffic) B.P. Dinesh Kumar and many others were present.