Kodagu villagers suffer without pvt buses

Madikeri: Villagers in Kodagu district are suffering with private buses being off the roads — the bus operators have stopped plying their fleet owing to losses during the pandemic since March.
The problem has aggravated as KSRTC too is not extending bus services to villages. In Balele hobli, 25 buses were plying till March. Two KSRTC buses, which served the villagers in May, stopped their service abruptly.
Karmadu Shri Rama Sangha (Igguthappa) office-bearers Kottangada Manjunath and Katimada Shivappa have urged the district administration to provide buses immediately.
The villagers of seven villages under Garvale panchayat in Somwarpet taluk are mostly involved in agriculture and apiculture, and these villagers must visit Somwarpet and Madikeri cities for business. Three KSRTC buses were running on this route to ferry passengers to and from Surlabbi, Mankya, Hammiyala, Kumbaragadige, Mutlu, Garvale and Kikkaralli, but all these buses are off the roads now.
“In the absence of buses, the villagers are forced to pay Rs 350-Rs 400 every time they hire autorickshaws,” said Chamera Palangappa of Garvale. The villagers too have requested the district administration to restore the bus service, saying it is a question of their livelihood.