Commuters left in lurch as RTC pares services

Shahalibanda: Ever since the Charminar bus stop was closed as part of the Charminar Pedestrian Project (CPP), most of the RTC buses plying on the route are affected. Some of the buses connecting important localities are completely stopped or diverted to new areas impacting the regular commuters.

According to locals, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) has decreased or removed several bus services, one after other, on the routes connecting areas like Uppuguda, Rajanna Bowli, Lal Darwaza, Chatrinaka, Gowliguda and its surrounding areas, thus, causing suffering to thousands of people. "In these areas, students and office-goers prefer to travel in public transport.

Thousands of passengers regularly travel from these areas. The residents comprise lower middle-class and middle-class people, who cannot not bear the expenses for travelling in auto or a taxi. On these routes, the RTC management should rationalise the transport mechanism for optimum usage, rather than just cancel the buses altogether," said K Venkatesh, a senior Congress leader.

Venkatesh said that around two years back, more than a dozen buses used to be in service on these routes and the Charminar bus stop served as the transit point. Ever since the Charminar bus stop was closed as part of CPP and was shifted to the Shahalibanda X Roads, around 15 buses were stopped from plying on these routes.

Earlier, the passengers traveling towards Secunderabad, Mehdipatnam, Jubilee hills, Maula Ali, Hi-Tec City, Patancheru, Musheerabad, Sanathnagar and IS Sadan were able to reach their destination smoothly. Now, passengers are going through hard times, as they have to take connecting buses from Afzalgunj, IS Sadan or Koti. "Since the major bus stop in the area was shifted to Shahalibanda X Roads, it has caused huge traffic congestion."

According to the Congress leader, the locals had the bus services including regular and minibuses like 75R (Rajanna Bowli to Koti), 75A (Uppuguda to Koti), 8U (Uppuguda to Secunderabad), 8R (Uppuguda to Near Alwal), 9M (Uppuguda to Sanathnagar), 65M (Charminar to Mehdipatnam), 127J (Charminar to Jubilee Hills) and many more. From Uppuguda to Secunderabad, there were more than 12 buses connecting different areas and now there is only one service plying on the route, he said.

Venkatesh also said that following several complaints from locals on the decreasing number of buses, he represented the matter to the local authorities of RTC and submitted a memorandum of demands to Regional Manager Khusro Shah Khan. Responding to the representation immediately, the official asked the Falaknuma DMO to hold a study of public needs in these areas, and ensure that the problem of the buses was solved.