Passengers suffer as RTC buses diverted to CM’s programme

Srikakulam: The APSRTC had diverted 488 buses for Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s two-day Janmabhoomi-Maa Vooru programme on Thursday and Friday in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts respectively. The RTC came under criticism for diverting the buses to the Janmabhoomi programme instead of cashing the festival rush. Speaking to The Hans India on Friday, RTC Regional Manager P Appanna has admitted that 488 buses were diverted for the Chief Minister’s programme. 

As the buses were diverted to the Chief Minister’s programme, the RTC officials cancelled several bus services on important routes from Wednesday evening to Friday night. The worst affected are passengers, who were supposed to reach Rajam, Palakonda, Kotturu and Pathapatnam in Srikakulam district and Parvathipuram, Cheepurupalli, Garividi and Kothavalasa in Vizianagaram district.

Also, the RTC buses were cancelled from Visakhapatnam to Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Narsipatnam. Employees, teachers, traders and students have faced trouble to reach their destinations due to cancellation of bus services on Thursday and Friday. The passengers were forced to wait in the bus stations for hours together as the RTC officials fail to inform passengers about the diversion of buses.

They have reached offices, colleges and homes by shelling more money on private vehicles. “I waited at Rajam for more than two hours to catch a bus to Srikakulam on Thursday evening and reached home in the night, after learning about the cancellation of buses. I went to Rajam on my bike on Friday,” K Suryanarayana, a government teacher said. 

By Chowdari Lakshmana Rao