Post bifurcation, the fervour and celebrations surrounding Sankranti seems to have just got bigger. A large number of citizens from the city were seen preparing for a festive dash to their respective native villages and towns across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Looking at the demand, the APSRTC has introduced 5,600 extra buses for major routes in both the States around the festival time.
“We are plying 40 per cent more number of buses than we did during Dussehra time last year,” informed Jaya Rao, Executive Director, Greater Hyderabad, APSRTC. “From January 8 to 14, we will run 5,600 new buses in view of festival. Apart from this, there will be 3100 regular buses in service.”
The high demand among travellers has not just resulted in a shortage of seats, but also sudden increase in charges in private buses. For instance, the private bus charges to various destinations like Vijayawada, Tirupati, Anantapur and others, is almost double or triple their usual fare. The APSRTC too has hiked their prices, by 50 per cent to 100 per cent, depending on the routes.
Some even shared bitter experiences due to the situation.
“I tried to book a bus ticket to Vizag through internet but I could not. The price display on the website was around Rs. 1,000. However, when I went to their office I was told that the ticket price is Rs. 1,800. I felt cheated but I had to book a ticket at that price since there were few tickets left,” said P. Vishnu, an employee with a software firm and a resident of Kukatpally.
Those who wanted to save on travelling time also did not have much choice.
The airfares too skyrocketed just before the festival. The flight charge to Vizag for a single person was a minimum of Rs. 9,000 and upwards, the air ticket for Vijayawada on Tuesday was Rs. 6,000.
Though some had already started travelling through the weekend, the passengers rush is expected to peak on Monday and Tuesday. The private cabs and taxis are also expected to do brisk business with many in Telangana regions opting for it.
