Our Correspondent
Kohima, March 5 (EMN): Cracking down on vehicles that flout social distancing protocols laid down by the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), Kohima police on Friday impounded five city buses after being caught ferrying more passengers than permitted.
Eastern Mirror had on Thursday reported about the confusion arising out of buses and commercial vehicles allegedly charging excess fare from the commuters despite flouting the standard operating procedure (SOP) of operating with 50% seating capacity.
“5 (Five) local city buses detained by Kohima Police for non-adherence to Regional Transport Authority Covid-19 Protocol directives and carrying more passengers than specified,” Kohima Police tweeted on Friday.
It may be mentioned that the RTA had come up with zizag seating arrangement for buses in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak last year while increasing the fare from INR 10 to INR 20 for a “town trip” in Kohima. Only three passengers are allowed to travel in a four-seater taxi.
Clearing the confusion raised by the commuters, the regional transport officer, Kohima, SY Sanglee Chang, had earlier told this newspaper that the fare and number of passengers specified in the previous notification “still stands” until the RTA comes up with fresh SOPs.
