A school bus in Berhampur

Berhampur, May 5: District police superintendent Anirudh Singh has requested private bus operators and school and college authorities to ensure that vehicles adhere to traffic rules, especially while plying within the city limits.

About 250 private buses and 150 buses of various school and college ply in Berhampur every day. Many of these buses do not have scheduled route.

“Private bus operators must declare particular spots on their routes as stops and drivers should obey traffic rules,” said Singh. He said that most of the drivers stopped their vehicles midway creating traffic chaos in the city. The practice of bus drivers to halt at any place has become a major problem for commuters and pedestrians.

“I have cautioned the private bus operators that they will face stringent action if they violate traffic rules,” he said.

The police would take action if the buses made unscheduled stops. Special emphasis will also be given to stop the practice of transporting passengers on rooftops and transporting excess luggage.

“I have asked officials of all the police stations to keep a strict vigil on the situation,” he said.

“School and college buses generally move at a time on congested roads. Most of these buses are vehicles disbanded in other states, particularly those in the south. Most of these buses transport students from the city to educational institutions situated on the outskirts of Berhampur. As most roads within the city are narrow, it sparks of traffic chaos. It would have been better if the administration asked the management of all the educational institutions to run comparatively smaller buses that are suitable for the narrow roads in Berhampur,” said Mantu Mishra, a resident of Tata Benz Square.