BHOPAL: Bus conductors and drivers look bemused when a photographs of them are taken. The questions goes ‘where is it going to be published?’ without any fear of penalties or action. Public transport staff of private buses and Bhopal City Link Limited (BCLL) are unafraid of consequences.
Like many of the passengers, they seem to have forgotten the need to adhering to Covid-19 guidelines — wearing a facemask to break the chain of Covid-19 infection which has resulted in hundreds of infections and many deaths during the pandemic.
At a time when public transport is once again being used for school going unvaccinated students, the lapse could be detrimental to health of city’s children. “The unvaccinated population is at risk. There is a treat of increase in Covid-19 infection in children. Covid-19 protocols should be followed to keep our children safe,” said Dr Rajiv Singh.
Symbolic face mask fines are applied arbitrarily by around a dozen teams of the district administration and Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC). Many of these public transport buses are fitted with CCTV surveillance. At the bus stops and traffic signals, these drivers and conductors are also escaping the multi-crore Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS). “ITMS is only used to penalise private citizens. Forget wearing a mask, some public transport buses do not have seat belts too,” said a commuter.
