Passengers left stranded

Balakrishna, a research scholar of SV University, who got stranded at MGBS, was busy filling in a form to get reservations for Tirupati. Chandana, balakrishna's daughter is also seen-PIC- By A Radhakrishna, IE.

Sitting at platform number 18, Balakrishna, research scholar, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, was busy filling the train reservation form online on his laptop, at the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS). Surfing the IRCTC portal for more than one and half an hour to get two reservations for himself and his daughter, they ended up being disappointed. Balakrishna had come to the city for passport renewal. But he got stranded at the MGBS due to the 48-hour bandh which affected all public transport. “We came to the city on Tuesday morning to meet an agent for my passport renewal. After finishing my work in Secunderabad, we were suggested to come here and catch a bus to Tirupati. We hired an auto on double-charge around 10.30 a.m to reach the MGBS. However, we learnt that the APSRTC had cancelled all bus services since morning. So we have been trying for train reservations since then,” said Balakrishna.Chandana, his daughter, a B.Pharm student, tried opening her account on Facebook and Twitter to get in touch with her friends in the city to take their suggestions. “I searched for my friends on Facebook and Twitter but couldn’t find anyone online,” said Chandana. While train services were running on schedule, RTC bus services were affected badly as all buses from the MGBS were cancelled. BV Prasad, assistant traffic manager, MGBS told Express they had cancelled all 3,500 bus services. Both the MGBS and Jubilee bus stations wore a deserted look. Hundreds of buses were seen standing in the MGBS.A number of passengers who had arrived unplanned were thus left stranded. For N Hareesh and his wife Bina, the plan to attend a relative’s marriage had gone topsy-turvy. They reached the Jubilee Bus Station on Tuesday morning to catch a bus for Nirmal but were left stranded. Hareesh, a plastic material trader said, “It is already 12.30 p.m. We have ben waiting here since 9.30 a.m to catch a bus. RTC officials cancelled all bus services due to the bandh. How can we reach Nirmal by evening to attend a wedding?’’ Similarly, K Masthan, who came from Ongole for his court work, was bargaining with a auto driver at the MGBS. He said his lawyer had called him to come on Tuesday. “It will be difficult for me to make the return journey. When I inquired at the RTC counter, they replied they are not sure whether bus services would resume in the evening,” Masthan said.

By Mouli Mareedu

moulimareedu@gmail.com