In all, 124 special buses were operated to Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, and East Godavari districts by the Visakhapatnam Region of A. P. State Road Transport Corporation (APS RTC) on Wednesday.
There was a steady stream of passengers from morning till evening as people rushed to board the special buses.
Regional Manager Y. Jagadeesh Babu, Deputy Chief Traffic Managers — P. Jeevan Prasad (rural) and A. Veeraiah Choudary (urban) — and senior officials — B. Appala Naidu and K. Ramasubba Rao — were seen monitoring the situation at the Dwaraka Bus Station (RTC Complex).
“On an average, 15 additional buses have been operated in the last few days from Hyderabad to the city by our region. Tuesday alone saw operation of 25 additional buses from Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam in addition to the existing 10 AC and 10 non-AC buses,” Mr. Jagadeesh Babu said. In all, 90 specials were operated to Srikakulam and Vizianagaram on Tuesday. “After Pongal, 200 specials will be operated to Hyderabad and other parts of the State from Visakhapatnam. On January 18, as many as 25 additional buses will be operated to Hyderabad and an additional AC bus would be operated to Bengaluru in addition to the two AC services being operated regularly,” the RTC officials said.
“There are no seats in flights not only to Hyderabad but also to Chennai and Bengaluru from Visakhapatnam. December and January is the peak season for air travel. Both domestic and international flights from Visakhapatnam are doing business,” says Prasad of Frontline Travels. A railway official has claimed that the outgoing traffic from Visakhapatnam to Hyderabad and other destinations has decreased compared to the previous year. Pongal rush could be taken care of by the passing trains, he said.
