The nationwide bandh called by trade unions on Wednesday evoked partial response in the city. The effect of bandh was limited to the closure of public sector banks and few other government department offices.
APSRTC stays away
Most APSRTC staff members did not participate in the bandh and all city bus services operated as per schedule, claimed RTC authorities. “There were no cancellations. With a majority of autos staying off the road we ran buses with full capacity,” an official said.
In fact, the average revenue of the RTC Greater Hyderabad zone increased by about Rs. 20 lakh on Wednesday and, depending on the situation, more special buses would be operated in certain routes on Thursday, the official added.
However, passengers faced difficulties in finding autos at Secunderabad and Kachiguda railway stations and other private bus alighting points as most autos remained off the road during morning hours. Schoolchildren too had tough time due to auto strike. The impact of bandh started waning after noon as some autos returned to the roads. Taking advantage of the bandh, a few auto drivers made a quick buck. Most charged up to three times than the regular fare.
However, auto union representatives claimed the bandh was successful. “There are some, who come from districts to drive autos in the city. They usually do not own autos and hire them to eke out a livelihood. The autos that were seen on the roads were mostly run by them,” A. Ravi Shankar, State general secretary of BMS Auto Union said.
MMTS goes the extra mile
To cater to the increased rush South Central Railway operated seven extra MMTS services on Wednesday.
“A total of 128 MMTS services were operated on Wednesday and we got about 50 per cent occupancy in these extra services. The occupancy rate was particularly high during morning and evening peak hours. These extra services will be continued on Thursday also,” a railway official said. Trade unions in the city conducted various programmes on Wednesday. A motorbike rally was organised in the city in which more than 1,000 employees and workers from various trade unions participated.
