KOZHIKODE: The KSRTC Minnal staff accused of refusing to drop a girl at Payyoli, the place she wanted, in the wee hours of January 13 has got a breather with other passengers justifying them. The father of the girl had made a futile attempt to stop the bus with the help of cops who followed and blocked it with their vehicle at Chombala. Majority of passengers said the girl took the ticket to Kannur even after the conductor announced that there would be no stop in between.
A couple travelling to Neeleswaram took a ticket to Payyannur after the announcement, and two others who wanted to go to Thalassery got down at Kozhikode station itself. Based on the statements, the KSRTC put on hold the earlier move to initiate action against the staff. KSRTC managing director A. Hemachandran said each category of services would stop only at the prescribed stops except in emergencies. "In case of exclusive services the timing and speed are important," he told DC. "We have not decided to take action against them. We will discuss it after assessing all reports."
The girl took her ticket to Kozhikode from Thrissur and extended it to Kannur. The Kasargod-bound bus from Thiruvananthapuram has only two stops after Kozhikode, Kannur and Payyannur. Officials also claimed that if the police wanted to stop the bus to assist the parent, it would be easier to call the KSRTC control room here instead of blocking its trip. Minnal is a prestigious service of KSRTC which it claims is faster than the train.
