KSRTC launches special RCC services

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation has started special bus services from Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway station to Regional Cancer Cente (RCC), beginning this week, for thousands of cancer patients who visit the city.

The three new buses which operate around 65 trips every day from the railway station gate drop patients to RCC.

It is also used by other commuters who use around 44 trains to go to Medical College-Palayam side from Thampanoor.

Close to 5,000 people including patients visit the RCC OP section daily. The queue for the OP starts early in the morning and hence the first bus starts from Thampanoor at around 3.15am and ends at 8.30pm.

“Earlier KSRTC buses used to go only till Medical College bus stand. Many of us have to visit the city often for treatment and some are unable to walk too much.

So, we used to routinely shell out around Rs 75 one way as auto fare. Sometimes we used to catch a bus to get down at Medical College and then hire an auto to go till RCC,” said a patient Jameela Beevi of Tirur.

“On the first three days buses were not plying in sync with train timings. However, since Saturday the buses are plying without hassles and the services have become comfortable for patients,” she added.

Interestingly, just a few weeks before KSRTC started these services from Thampanoor, railway authorities had installed a board at the Pettah railway station which says ‘alight here for RCC and Medical College’.

According to some of the 1,500 patients who visit RCC every month, this could cause confusion.

“When trains like Malabar express used to arrive late to the central station, some people used to get down at Pettah. Now even if the trains are running right on time, some get down at Pettah but the bus services there are not great,” said Gireesh, a regular rail user.

Officials attached to KSRTC depot said that plans were afoot to start similar services from Pettah station also, soon after the Mandala season.

A big complement of KSRTC buses in the city are presently deployed at Sabarimala. DC Correspondent thrissur, sept. 23

The Muslim Youth League on Monday criticised the Muslim clerics who were seeking to lower the  marriage age of girls belonging to  the community.

Addressing mediapersons,  Mr P.M. Sadikhali, president of the organisation, said: “The controversy over the issue has come at the most inopportune time.

The move by the clerics will only help in taking the Muslims backward. None of the religious texts give any such directives in this regard,’’ he said.

According to him, the BJP and the CPM were attempting to create a communal polarisation  in view of the upcoming Parliament election.

“This is why they are holding the Indian Union Muslim League responsible for a meeting of the Muslim religious bodies in Kozhikode in this regard, which was originally convened by  the Samasta secretary Kottumala Bappu Musaliyar,’’  he explained.

In his opinion, the allegations being raised by the two parties were part of their strategy to work together ahead of the election.

It was the BJP state secretary  who first came up with the allegation that the IUML was trying to enforce Talibanism by  reducing the marriage age for girls.

Later,  Opposition Leader V.S. Achuthana-ndan and the CPM state secretary backed this,’’ he pointed out.