Watch: Viral video shows villagers bidding farewell to 16-year-old govt bus in Karnataka

HUBBALI: Govt buses have often been the target of miscreants during protests and bandhs. However, in a unique gesture, Allapur villagers in Kundagol taluk organised a grand farewell for an NWKRTC bus that had served their village for 15 years.
Just before the bus was sent for scrapping, villagers decorated it, and gram panchayat members, elders, and students shared their memories.Photos and videos of the event have gone viral, earning widespread appreciation from netizens.

Sources in NWKRTC said that bus no. KA 25/F 2714, with a BS-II engine, was allotted to run between Hubballi and Allapur via Kadapatti and Halyal in 2008. "It was one of four new buses transferred from Hubballi city-2 depot to Hubballi City-1 depot. Since then, it has continued to run to Allapur as per the villagers' request. Now it has travelled 11.8 lakh km in these 16 years, and it is being sent to scrap as per central regulations on scrapping buses and KSRTC scrap policy," they added.
Allapur GP member Mallikarjun Radder told TOI that out of the two buses allotted to Allapur, this bus had been running for 15 years continuously. "It hardly faced any technical difficulties. Students who had travelled by this bus are now in good positions. Farmers, women, and all commuters miss it," he added.
He further said, "Our village knows the importance of public transport buses, as 90% of villagers depend on them for their daily needs. We did it as a low-key affair, but now we are happy that it has gone viral everywhere."
As Monday was the bus's last visit to Allapur, village youths washed it and decorated it with plantain trees, flowers, and other materials. They offered puja to it and distributed pulav and kesaribath to all villagers. All contributed in terms of money, ration, flowers, etc. On seeing their enthusiasm, the driver and conductor of the bus also contributed some amount to the farewell ceremony.
Hanumantappa, the bus driver, recalled that he had driven it for the first time to the village in 2008. "Villagers had welcomed it with a puja and distributed sweets. Commonly, rural people welcome a new coach whenever they get one for their village. However, villagers rarely bid farewell to a bus going to be scrapped," he commented.
Khadarsab Hallikeri, president of the school development and monitoring committee of the local govt school, said that there is a need for a library building for the school. "We have requested NWKRTC officials to provide the bus after removing the equipment. We want to convert the coach and wheels into a library on the school premises," he added.