<p>Hubballi: With hundreds of buses booked for carrying people visiting Belagavi for the centenary function of Congress convention presided by Mahatma Gandhi in 1924, coupled with school-college excursion season also being at its peak, regular bus service of the North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) in the region is likely to be affected on Friday.</p><p>With around 20% of the NWKRTC's fleet being taken on casual contract (CC) on Friday, frequency of regular bus service will be less, some trips will get cancelled, while usual service of both long-route and city buses will be affected. Facing inconvenience, passengers heading towards different destinations may have to wait for additional time at bus stands, while buses are also expected to have additional rush compared to normal days, due to less number of buses.</p><p>For the movement of people from different places visiting Belagavi for centenary of 1924 Congress convention, as many as 830 NWKRTC buses are taken on casual contract. In addition, more than 250 buses are booked by schools and colleges, with December being the season of school trips.</p><p>NWKRTC, which covers Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag, Belagavi, Bagalkot and Uttara Kannada districts through its nine divisions, has around 5,500 buses. On Friday, about 1,100 buses of them will be on casual contract, out of which over 75% are hired for the Congress convention being held in Belagavi, and they are moving from different locations in the region, according to NWKRTC officials.</p><p>Admitting that there will be discrepancy in regular service of buses in the region on Friday, NWKRTC officials have requested passengers to co-operate.</p><p>"Out of 5,500 buses, 1,100 buses including 830 buses for Belagavi event are on CC on Friday. From each division, 100 to 150 buses are being used for this, and remaining buses for regular service are being distributed among them based on need. Both long-route and city buses are given on CC. For policemen and others, Belagavi district administration is using buses from Belagavi and Chikkodi divisions," said NWKRTC Chief Traffic Manager Vivekanand Vishwadnya.</p><p>He told DH that 120 buses from Koppal, Vijayapur and Davanegre of other corporations are taken to fill the shortage of buses for the day. "Officials have been asked to monitor the situation in bus stands, and to divert buses and run more trips as per need, instead of sticking to regular fixed rips. Measures are being taken to reduce the disturbance in regular service to the minimum," Vishwadnya added.</p><p>The NWKRTC is charging its regular CC price of Rs 47 and Rs 51 per km for two types of buses for the Congress session centenary event, while schools get Rs 3 concession for educational tours, officials said.</p>
<p>Hubballi: With hundreds of buses booked for carrying people visiting Belagavi for the centenary function of Congress convention presided by Mahatma Gandhi in 1924, coupled with school-college excursion season also being at its peak, regular bus service of the North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) in the region is likely to be affected on Friday.</p><p>With around 20% of the NWKRTC's fleet being taken on casual contract (CC) on Friday, frequency of regular bus service will be less, some trips will get cancelled, while usual service of both long-route and city buses will be affected. Facing inconvenience, passengers heading towards different destinations may have to wait for additional time at bus stands, while buses are also expected to have additional rush compared to normal days, due to less number of buses.</p><p>For the movement of people from different places visiting Belagavi for centenary of 1924 Congress convention, as many as 830 NWKRTC buses are taken on casual contract. In addition, more than 250 buses are booked by schools and colleges, with December being the season of school trips.</p><p>NWKRTC, which covers Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag, Belagavi, Bagalkot and Uttara Kannada districts through its nine divisions, has around 5,500 buses. On Friday, about 1,100 buses of them will be on casual contract, out of which over 75% are hired for the Congress convention being held in Belagavi, and they are moving from different locations in the region, according to NWKRTC officials.</p><p>Admitting that there will be discrepancy in regular service of buses in the region on Friday, NWKRTC officials have requested passengers to co-operate.</p><p>"Out of 5,500 buses, 1,100 buses including 830 buses for Belagavi event are on CC on Friday. From each division, 100 to 150 buses are being used for this, and remaining buses for regular service are being distributed among them based on need. Both long-route and city buses are given on CC. For policemen and others, Belagavi district administration is using buses from Belagavi and Chikkodi divisions," said NWKRTC Chief Traffic Manager Vivekanand Vishwadnya.</p><p>He told DH that 120 buses from Koppal, Vijayapur and Davanegre of other corporations are taken to fill the shortage of buses for the day. "Officials have been asked to monitor the situation in bus stands, and to divert buses and run more trips as per need, instead of sticking to regular fixed rips. Measures are being taken to reduce the disturbance in regular service to the minimum," Vishwadnya added.</p><p>The NWKRTC is charging its regular CC price of Rs 47 and Rs 51 per km for two types of buses for the Congress session centenary event, while schools get Rs 3 concession for educational tours, officials said.</p>