GUNTUR: The ongoing Krishna Pushkarams seems to have come as a boon to the auto drivers in Guntur city as they are charging more than the normal fare from passengers.
As the APSRTC is operating buses from different parts of the city to Pushkar ghats located in various parts of the district, the auto wallahs are earning extra bucks making use of the occasion.
To avoid the congestion of pilgrims at one location in the city, the management of the APSRTC took a decision to operate buses from Wolf Hall Ground, Pedakakani, Pushkar Nagar at Goruntla on the outskirts of Guntur city apart from the NTR bus station (main bus stand) during the 12-day river fete. The outstation passengers arriving by trains or buses are forced to take the autos for reaching the satellite bus stations as the APSRTC is not operating any free bus services within the city.
Normally, share auto drivers charge Rs10 per person from NTR bus stand to Wolf Hall Ground, opposite the Andhra Christian College, a distance of just 2.5 km. Now they are charging double the fare as the APSRTC operates more buses from Wolf Hall Ground to Amaravati, the busiest ghat in the district.