Sir,

This refers to the recent news item regarding KSRTC being honoured with the prestigious National “HUDCO Best Practice Award-2017” for its initiative  “MITRA – Nation’s First Intelligent Transport System (ITS) at Mysuru City.” We should all be very proud of this singular achievement of KSRTC. But one must not be carried away by this award just like in the case of Cleanest City award.

As all of us are aware MGP has earnestly and vigorously taken up the issue of failure of ITS in Mysuru right from day one of its introduction and has written countless letters to the Divisional Controller as well as the press. We have had many interactions with the officials joining our monthly meetings at least three times in the past and none of the grievances which were promised to be resolved have been delivered.

There is no online system of customer complaints and its registration and redressal. There is no published time-table for the city buses which is a basic minimum for any system to be evaluated for punctuality and efficiency. Even the web-based time-table for several routes are not updated despite our regular pleas and personal meetings with the KSRTC DC.

Just for example, the timings for Route No.72, which is still a single bus service does not operate on Sundays and there is no info even on the web. Route No. 135 has three versions, namely 135, 135N and 135NN. Nowhere is an explanation available for these versions.  I have checked even today to see if the website time-table is updated or not. Nope. No improvement at all.

Like these the number of failures are too many to be listed here.

We all know how well the timings are displayed on the electronic sign boards at various bus shelters which themselves are wrongly located. The big electronic sign board at Kuvempunagar bus stand is still not fully functional.

I wonder how these awards are finalised. This is not the first time KSRTC is awarded for ITS. It is just like submitting the same thesis document for multiple degrees at several Universities.

It is high time that the senior officers realised the faults and gaps and work towards living up to the expectations at least now after receiving the  award.

– Prof. B.S.Shankara (retd.), Ramakrishnanagar, 26.4.2017