Srikakulam: As RTC buses are rare, private travels exploit passengers in rural areas

Srikakulam: As APSRTC failed to resume bus services to rural, Agency and coastal areas in the district, the private travels' owners are exploiting the passengers.

The district has a total of five APSTRC depots - Srikakulam-1, Srikakulam-2,Tekkali, Palakonda and Palasa. These depots house as many as 480 buses and of them 100 buses were hired fromprivate owners.

As most of the buses are old and not in a good condition, the services to rural, Agency and coastal areas arecancelled often without prior information.

The people are depended on private vehicleslikeauto-rickshaws and minibuses for reaching their destination. Cashing in the situation, the owners of the vehicles charging double fare than RTC.

In Itchapuram, Kaviti, Sompeta, Mandasa,Palasa, Vajrapukotturu, Santhabommali, Polaki, Gara, Etcherla,Ranastalam, Meliaputti, Palasa, Tekkali, Nandigama, Mandasa,Pathapatnam, Jalumuru, Hiramandal, LNPeta, Palakonda, Sitampeta,VeeraGattam, Burja, Vangara, Santhakaviti mandals the RTC servicesare rare and there are not enough buses to ply.

A passenger said that it is very difficult to reach Srikakulam district headquarters from their village as there are no regular buses services.

Another passenger said that they are forced to depend on the auto-rickshaws as RTC bus services are very rare in Veerabhadrapuram.

When contacted APSRTC in-charge deputychief traffic manager VPraveena said that they are operating buses based on the demand and representation from the people.