NEW DELHI: People are travelling by busloads, literally. The Jat agitation, which has resulted in cancellation and disruption in train services, has sparked chaos and commotion at the Anand Vihar ISBT. Many trains have been cancelled and many others have been diverted on the Delhi-Moradabad, Bareily and Katgodam routes. As a result, people travelling towards to Uttar Pradesh are now left with no option but to travel by bus.
On Monday, hundreds of passengers were waiting to board the first bus they can find. "I came to Delhi for an interview. I went to the railway station but found there were no trains. At bus station too, it's no different. They (bus operators) told me that it would take at least three hours to find a bus in which I can get a seat," said 22-year-old Yogesh Maurya. He wants to go to Lucknow.
Hundreds like Yogesh were waiting at the packed ISBT, harangued due to limited seating space and lack of adequate drinking water facilities. "We are waiting for over two hours but there are no buses. They are asking me to stand and travel but I have an infant with me. How can I take her in such conditions? Trains are more convenient", says Kiran, waiting to travel to Sitapur with her three-year-old daughter.
While passengers are worried and upset, food stall owners at the depot are doing brisk business. "There has been a definite increase in passengers over the last two days. Because people have to wait for long they buy food and cold drinks. I'm keeping my shop open overtime now, up to midnight as most of the buses to UP leave after 8 pm", says Subash Chandra, manager of shop no. C-2 at the ISBT.
Although the number of buses has been increased, people are still finding it difficult get seats. The situation is particularly bad on the Lucknow route. "Around 40-50 extra buses arrived some time back but I think there will be need for more. People are so desperate that some youngsters are even willing to travel standing. Usually, this kind of rush is seen on Holi but not so early", says Karim Bakshi, a driver with UP Roadways. A trip to Lucknow from New Delhi takes about 14 hours by bus.
Dinesh Singh, who mans the booking counter, says usually there is demand for non air-conditioned buses in the run up to Holi but the last two days have seen an increased demand for AC tickets too. "People on business trips and students are booking AC tickets in big numbers", he says.
Officials at the depot confirm the rise in number of passengers. "Roughly, there is a 20-30% increase in passengers and we are expecting it to rise further as Holi approaches", says Vijay Kumar, estate manager at the ISBT. "We will take stock of the situation and add more buses if required. We do it every year for Holi but rush this year has been unprecedented." On the current situation, Kumar said adequate arrangements for passengers would be made and information about timings would be provided at regular interval.
An estimated 1500 buses depart from Anand Vihar on different routes to UP and Uttarakhand every day. The police have denied any reports of touts or agents harassing passengers by charging exorbitant fares.
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On Monday, hundreds of passengers were waiting to board the first bus they can find. "I came to Delhi for an interview. I went to the railway station but found there were no trains. At bus station too, it's no different. They (bus operators) told me that it would take at least three hours to find a bus in which I can get a seat," said 22-year-old Yogesh Maurya. He wants to go to Lucknow.
Hundreds like Yogesh were waiting at the packed ISBT, harangued due to limited seating space and lack of adequate drinking water facilities. "We are waiting for over two hours but there are no buses. They are asking me to stand and travel but I have an infant with me. How can I take her in such conditions? Trains are more convenient", says Kiran, waiting to travel to Sitapur with her three-year-old daughter.
While passengers are worried and upset, food stall owners at the depot are doing brisk business. "There has been a definite increase in passengers over the last two days. Because people have to wait for long they buy food and cold drinks. I'm keeping my shop open overtime now, up to midnight as most of the buses to UP leave after 8 pm", says Subash Chandra, manager of shop no. C-2 at the ISBT.
Although the number of buses has been increased, people are still finding it difficult get seats. The situation is particularly bad on the Lucknow route. "Around 40-50 extra buses arrived some time back but I think there will be need for more. People are so desperate that some youngsters are even willing to travel standing. Usually, this kind of rush is seen on Holi but not so early", says Karim Bakshi, a driver with UP Roadways. A trip to Lucknow from New Delhi takes about 14 hours by bus.
Dinesh Singh, who mans the booking counter, says usually there is demand for non air-conditioned buses in the run up to Holi but the last two days have seen an increased demand for AC tickets too. "People on business trips and students are booking AC tickets in big numbers", he says.
Officials at the depot confirm the rise in number of passengers. "Roughly, there is a 20-30% increase in passengers and we are expecting it to rise further as Holi approaches", says Vijay Kumar, estate manager at the ISBT. "We will take stock of the situation and add more buses if required. We do it every year for Holi but rush this year has been unprecedented." On the current situation, Kumar said adequate arrangements for passengers would be made and information about timings would be provided at regular interval.
An estimated 1500 buses depart from Anand Vihar on different routes to UP and Uttarakhand every day. The police have denied any reports of touts or agents harassing passengers by charging exorbitant fares.
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