Passengers waiting for buses headed for their hometowns at Pandit Nehru Bus Station in Vijayawada on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: G.N. RAO
The bustling Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) is witnessing heavy crowds ahead of Sankranti. A large number of people, residing in the city for education, job or for other purpose, are headed home for the festival of harvest, causing a slowdown of traffic on all the national highways and arterial roads criss-crossing the city.
The bus station is chock-a-block with passengers, leaving no place for people to sit or even stand still. Those heading to platforms are forced to elbow out others to find their way ahead in the milling crowd.
Students heading home with their backpacks forms a good chunk of the crowd. The cloak room is bursting at the seams, with large bundles of baggage deposited out in the open.
Traffic on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada National Highway-65 amid the Sankranti rush, at Ibrahimpatnam in NTR district on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
G.N. RAO
The large festival crowds help A.P. State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) to shore up their revenue annually. This year, the APSRTC is running 7,200 special buses to cater to the additional rush. Ahead of the festival, 3,900 special buses are being operated and, after the festival, 3,300 special buses will be run.
Bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada National Highway-65 at Ibrahimpatnam in NTR district on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
G.N. RAO
Cashing in on the public mood, private bus operators are making a killing by increasing fares by over 100%.
Deputy Transport Commissioner (DTC-NTR District) A. Mohan, meanwhile, warned private bus operators against charging excessive fares from passengers and said errant operators would be booked and their vehicles seized.
In a meeting with with private bus operators, Mr. Mohan said special inspection teams had been formed with ten Motor Vehicle Inspectors across the district.
He said passengers who are overcharged or face any other problem during their journey on APSRTC buses can lodge a complaint by calling the number 9154294698.
Published – January 11, 2025 08:13 pm IST