APSRTC buses parked on flooded roads at the Sitara Center area in Vijayawada on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: G.N. RAO
The distress caused to the residents of low-lying areas in the city and the surrounding regions on account of torrential rains, spilled over to the premises of the Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) on Tuesday (September 3, 2024). The bus station was packed with commuters eager to reach safer destinations.
As rains rendered many roads unusable, the APSRTC had to withdraw services on many routes in the last couple of days. Though there was improvement in the situation on Tuesday, the public sector giant could not operate its entire fleet of buses for reasons varying from breached roads and inability of the drivers to report to duty due to their areas getting inundated by flood waters. Many bus depots in the low-lying areas were still under a sheet of water like the ones at Vidyadharapuram and Ibrahimpatnam.
As the Railways cancelled many train services, people moved from the railway station to the PNBS, adding to the existing chaos.
Colleges in areas like Gudavalli in Guntur district and Gannavaram in Krishna district declared holidays as flood waters entered the campuses and hostel rooms of students. A large number of students from these educational institutions waited patiently at the bus station for buses bound to their native districts.
In NTR district, the APSRTC restored all its services on the Hyderabad route without any diversions on Tuesday. However, it cancelled 10 buses bound to Paritala, Rudravaram, Pamulakaluva, Chandapuram, Lingalapadu and Velagaleru due to rain water overflowing on the roads. One bus was cancelled on the Ongole route also. From Anantapur depot, all buses to Hyderabad operated while two buses in Vijayawada-Guntur route were withdrawn.
A few bus services from Jaggaiahpet, Thiruvuru, Governorpet-I and Governorpet-II, Vidyadharapuram and Ibrahimpatnam were also held back due to flood impact.
The APSRTC also incurred revenue losses due to non-operation of buses during the last few days. Besides loss of revenue on ticket-sale, many of its vehicles had borne the brunt of the flood fury, which might further add to the woes of the fund-starved corporation.
The APSRTC officials said efforts were being made to restore 100% services at the earliest possible to spare commuters of the hardship.
