‘Be Disciplined or Face Action’- Police Commissioner tells Pvt Bus Crew during Interaction
‘Be Disciplined or Face Action’- Police Commissioner of Mangaluru Dr P S Harsh tells drivers and conductors of City Private Buses during Interaction held at His office on Monday, 19 August. Also following a WhatsApp post, a private bus driver on Karkala-Mangaluru route has been booked for using mobile phone while driving (watch video below)
Mangaluru : This is a famous proverb in Malayalam -“Vaalu Pathu Noottaandu Kuzhali”, which means that even if the dog’s curved tail is put in a tube for many thousand’s of years, it won’t become straight. It is said that one can keep a dog’s tail in a straight tube and hold it there for as long as the dog lives. But it will curl as soon as you take it out of the tube! At one or other time in our lives, most of us probably heard this expression either from our parents, school teachers or others. This phenomenal world of names and forms is also like a dog’s tail: its nature is to curl!
Like a dog’s tail, which will never straighten out, the mind will not change, no matter how many things are tried. Like a dog’s tail, it (mind) cannot be straightened; it will not listen to what we tell it. Similar is the case with the City’s bus drivers and conductors, no matter how many times they have been told or warned to be disciplined or behave well with the passengers, their attitude and character has remained the same. But this time the newly appointed police commissioner of Mangaluru Dr P S Harsha, wanted to give a try and use his tactics in motivating these bunch of unruly bus crew to bring a change in them, asking them to be disciplined and follow the traffic rules.
Following a few complaints from citizens about the rude behaviour, rash driving, etc by the City’s private buses drivers and conductors during His first Phone-In programme last Friday, police Commissioner Dr P S Harsha taking a serious note of those complaints decided to hold discussions with the private bus drivers and conductors at his office on Monday, 19 August. Speaking to media after the meeting, Dr Harsha said, “During my first phone-in programme last Friday as the City Police Commissioner I received complaints about the behaviour of private bus drivers and conductors. Through their Association, they have assured that the driver and conductor will be well-behaved, courteous to passenger and abide by the traffic laws and will not compete with one another”.
Referring to a case that has been registered in the Mangaluru North Sub-Division, where drivers of two private buses had a physical fight, the commissioner said, “Both the bus drivers have been clearly instructed that already legal action has been initiated in that case, there should not be any scope for such incidents recurring again. They need to be more organized and disciplined as a group and if at all they have any difficulty or issues with any government department, attempts would be taken to resolve the same. But they should not take laws in their own hands”.
Speaking to Team Mangalorean, M G Hegde-the Honorary president of the newly formed association of Bus drivers, conductors and cleaners three months ago, the Karavali Shramika Sangha said, “By forming the Association Our aim is to make traveling in City buses passenger-friendly and attempts are being made to guide the drivers, conductors and cleaners through this Association, which currently has nearly 500 members. There are nearly 3000 drivers, conductors and cleaners in the city buses. While emphasis is to bring in discipline in the manner they work, we are also looking at how to strengthen their income source. Many of them are not aware of the govt schemes. From their end too several issues have to be sorted out”.
Regarding the WhatsApp video which went viral on social media recently, where a bus driver on the Karkala-Mangaluru route is seen talking on his mobile phone while at the steering wheel, ACP (Traffic) Manjunath Shetty informed that a case ha been booked against the driver, who was also behaved rudely with a passenger when questioned about his act. “We will write to the concerned authorities for the suspension of his driving license, as per the new traffic rule guideline” said ACP Shetty.
About 25 bus drivers and conductors attended the meeting hosted by the police commissioner, and as a kind gesture they even invited the Police Commissioner to participate in an awareness traffic rules programme to be organized in the nearest future.
WATCH THE VIDEO WHERE A BUS DRIVER IS TALKING ON THE MOBILE PHONE WHILE DRIVING
