The South Central Railway (SCR) registered a record high in terms of passenger volume transporting about 41 lakh pilgrims and helping them take a holy dip during the Krishna Pushkarams between August 12 and 23, while the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) ferried 15 lakh people.
The SCR ran 691 specials – 295 more than during the Krishna Pushkarams- 2004 and the passenger traffic increase was put at 100 per cent compared to then and now. Augmentation of 4,871 coaches through various trains represented a 200 per cent increase while revenue earnings touched about Rs. 47 crore, a press release said.
General Manager Ravindra Gupta and a team of senior officials drew up an elaborate plan, identifying 13 stations on its network, including Vijayawada, Krishna Canal, Madhura Nagar, Gunadala, Rayanapadu, Guntur, Repalle, Peddakurapadu, Mangalagiri, Vishnupuram, Pondugula, Krishna and Gadwal. Overall punctuality of regular services was above 96 per cent, he said.
Union Ministers Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu (Railways), M. Venkaiah Naidu (Information & Broadcasting) and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu were said to have conveyed their appreciation at SCR’s handling of the Pushkaram traffic through a well-drawn strategy and hard work of the railway personnel. After a review of Pushkaram operations, TSRTC Managing Director G.V. Ramana Rao said that on its part, compared to Krishna Pushkarams-2004 when a mere 480 buses were operated, a whopping 7,560 buses were pressed into service this time. Buses undertook 26,000 trips and did over 29 lakh kilometres, apart from which 1,440 buses helped transport pilgrims free from the parking lots to the Pushkar ghats.
