(1.) These matters involve common questions, hence, the same are clubbed, heard together and disposed of by this common order.
(2.) The petitioners have called in question the orders passed by the Regional Transport Authority, Udupi dated 21.3.2017 granting permits and assigning timings to the State Transport Undertaking.
(3.) The petitioners are existing stage carriage operators, operating their stage carriage service at various places in Dakshina Kannada District. It is the contention of the petitioners that several services in the City of Udupi are being operated for the past 90 years and their operation is well organized, well equipped and maintaining the timings as per the permit conditions. There are about 960 trips of private operators as city services in the city of Udupi for every two to three minutes. In some junctions of the city, there are services with a gap of one minute. Thus, taking note of the road congestion and traffic, the then District Magistrate of D.K. District had issued a Notification under Section 115 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 ['Act', for short], restricting the issue of fresh permits to the city of Udupi by means of Notification dated 26.7.1994 which came into force from 1.9.1994. The said Notification dated 26.7.1994 was modified by allowing the Respondent No.3's fresh services to enter Udupi Bus stand as per Notification dated 31.7.2004. The same was further modified by the Notification dated 6.2.2014.