SAMBALPUR: Commuters were left stranded as hundreds of buses, deployed for first phase polls in Nabarangpur, Nuapada and Kalahandi went off the roads on Tuesday.As many as 250 buses have been deployed so far for the purpose. These include as many as 25 city buses along with Government and private carriers. While 120 buses have been sent to Nuapada, 100 were dispatched to Kalahandi and 30 to Nabrangpur. Since the final exams of colleges here ended recently, several students were seen waiting for buses at the private bus terminus at Ainthapali in the city.
Sources said private schools had to hand over their buses to the district administration. Subsequently, some of them had to suspend a few classes. A few such schools later appealed the administration to return the buses. Principal of a private school in Sason said the Collector was apprised of the problems in ferrying students after which the buses borrowed from his institution were returned.
“However, the schools have been asked to lend all their buses during the third phase of polls,” he said. The problem is likely to become acute when Sambalpur Parliamentary constituency and its Assembly segments go to polls in the third phase.