Curtains for 12-hour trip on Kudremukh-Kalasa Road

The nearly 12-hour ordeal for passengers travelling in KSRTC’s premium buses via Kudremukh-Kalasa route will end with Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil issuing a notification on lifting the ban on movement of premium multi-axle buses on Shiradi Ghats from October 3.

When Shiradi Ghats, Sampaje Ghats remained out of bounds for traffic due to massive landslides, KSRTC decided to operate its high-end premium (air conditioned, multi axle) buses from August 19. KSRTC Mangaluru division, which operates 31 departures, including six AC sleeper buses had sustained a total loss of about Rs 4 crore.

“The losses per day was about Rs 15 lakh as an excess of 50 litres of diesel was consumed per round trip (covering nearly 900 km),” sources informed DH.

KSRTC’s Bengaluru division, which operates five departures from Bengaluru, also faced losses.