While the Karnataka government is successful in implementing the Shakti scheme, women of 291 villages across the State have missed the free bus scheme due to bad road conditions.
The government has not been able to provide State-run bus transport service to these 291 villages in four divisions of the Road Transport Corporations (RTCs). This was stated in the legislative Council by Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy in response to a question on rural bus connectivity in Karnataka.
According to data shared by the Transport Minister, 204 villages under Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) lack bus facilities, 45 villages under North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), and 42 villages under Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC). All villages served by Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) have been connected by bus facility, the Minister claimed.
Also Read — Explained | Free bus travel for women in Karnataka: How does the Shakti Scheme work?
On June 11, the newly-elected Congress government in Karnataka launched the first among five poll guarantees — the Shakti scheme. In this scheme, women can travel for free in non-premium services of State-run buses across Karnataka. On an average, 55.7 lakh women are travelling daily on State-run buses after the launch of the scheme. Up to July 13, 18.72 crore women had travelled in the four RTCs.
Mr Reddy said that the main reason for the lack of bus facilities to 291 villages is poor road condition, which will not allow heavy vehicles, such as buses, to reach these villages. “We will make sure that the necessary basic infrastructure is put in place by the agencies concerned so that buses can reach all the villages. Apart from this, we will conduct route surveys in a phased manner, and will deploy buses in rural parts of Karnataka,” Mr Reddy said.
Shakthi scheme in numbers*
- Total villages covered by 3 RTCs: 30,563
- 291 villages don’t have bus services
- 204 villages under KSRTC don’t have bus services
- 45 villages under NWKRTC don’t have bus services
- 42 villages under KKRTC don’t have bus services
* Source: Transport Department
