Kemmannugundi residents struggle for transportation facilities

Even as the coffee land is considered a haven for tourists, the people from the district are let to fend for themselves for want of basic facilities.

The people of rural places and the daily waged workers have especially been deprived of transportation facilities. There are no facilities for the people to ferry them to the hobli centre or to the town. Ailing people, students and tourists are the worst affected.

Kemmannugundi resident Ramachandra Nayak said that the people have to go till Lingadahalli, which is 15 km away, or Tarikere, which is 36 km away to get transport facility.

Earlier, one government and one private bus used to make four rounds. As the buses have stopped services now, the tourists going to Kemmannugundi, Kalhattigiri and other places are facing problems. They have to turn to private vehicles paying heavy fee.

The problem has intensified as private buses have also stopped their services 20 days ago in the wake of termination of their licences. The KSRTC buses which were operating the last 20 years have also remained off-road. The villages around Kemmannugundi, Ballavara, Dhoopadagiri, Katuvale and Sannakanu waterfalls and the villages around Lingadahalli and Kalhattagiri are struggling for transportation facilities. They are requesting goods auto rickshaw, lorry and other vehicle drivers to ferry them to town.

The villagers submitted a memorandum in this regard to Additional Deputy Commissioner M L Vaishali on Tuesday. They meanwhile requested for a renewal of the licences of the private buses plying in the region or to provide KSRTC bus facilities.

The ADC spoke to the Transport Department Official over phone and directed them to come out with a solution soon.