It turned out to be a dreadful day for commuters in Hyderabad on Friday. With many MMTS services cancelled and RTC buses off the roads for the better part of the day, commuters, particularly office-goers were left with little option but to brave the barricaded roads and take longer routes to their destinations. The steady drizzle all-day long added to their woes.
RTC authorities cancelled nearly 800 buses and those that did ply on the roads — in Uppal, L.B. Nagar, Secunderabad and Charminar regions — registered poor seat occupancy.
To make matters worse, a few auto unions supported the rally called it a day. Those using personal transport had a tough time with police having blocked many main roads, even the arterial ones, which lead to the Assembly. Motorists were made to take long detours to reach their offices, turning up late for work.
ADVERTISEMENT
“It took me three hours to reach Jubilee Hills from Tarnaka. By the time I reached office, it was almost lunch hour,” fumed Raj Kumar, a private employee.
Those arriving in the city in trains and buses were also in for a harrowing time as there were not many buses or autos to board at Mahatma Gandhi Bus station, Jubilee Bus Stand and the Secunderabad railway station.
Vegetable vendors and petty traders who frequent local trains went out of business, as the South Central Railway had cancelled about 60 MMTS services on the Falaknuma-Secunderabad, Secunderabad-Bolarum/Medchal/Manoharabad, the Falaknuma-Hyderabad and Hyderabad-Lingampalli routes.
ADVERTISEMENT
Residents of areas like Narayanguda, Domalguda, Himayatnagar, Tarnaka, Adarshnagar and Basheerbagh had to face the tall blockades that were placed between the interior roads and the main ones. At several places, the obstructions forced autos to stop midway, leaving passengers to carry their luggage and walk all the way to their homes.