HUBBALLI: MLA Anjali Nimbalkar took the crew of a KSRTC bus to task for not picking up students from a designated stop at Prabhu Nagar in Khanapur on September 27. Even the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights took note of this practice.Despite warnings, the practice continues as proved by a reality check conducted by TOI on October 3. The reality check at the BVB and MVP stops here showed most of the buses ignored the waiting students. Some did halt, but only due to traffic hurdles. There were a few which halted at a distance, giving the students little time to board the bus. Some students hailed the bus, but the conductors blew double whistle which signals a "go ahead" to the driver.Students Prakash Jain, Seema Patil and Jyoti Kumbar waited at BVB bus stop for hours. "In a minute, 4-5 buses cross the stop; we fail to board them. If some buses are stopped, we fail to get in due to heavy rush. As hundreds of students wait on the road, it leads to traffic congestion," they said.Nandini K S and Keerti, who pursue Diploma in Computer Science at Mahila Vidya Peetha, said many drivers scold them when they forcibly board the bus. "As an alternative, we sometimes go to Hosur , which is next to our stop. But seeing us in uniform, they don't stop the bus," they complained.Akshata, another student, missed the 5.15pm bus to her village Alagawadi. The reason is she failed to catch the city bus from MVP to Old Bus Stand. "The bus to my village is at 6.15pm and I will reach home only after sunset," she said.A few drivers and conductors, requesting anonymity, said it is difficult to handle hundreds of students at a time. "Due to the large number of student pass holders, we fail to get the required collection. Our officials just ask about the collection, not the number of passengers," said one crew member.Rajendra Cholan, managing director, NWKRTC, said serious action will be taken against the offenders. "We also seek students' cooperation in this regard. They should come forward to complain against such arrogant staff. We will display the helpline number and contact details to lodge complaints," he said.

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