SABARIMALA: The KSRTC Pampa station will deploy an additional 800 buses on the Makaravilakku day (January 14) to meet the peak demand, KSRTC sources said. The additional buses will be pooled from various KSRTC depots, taking the total number of buses in Sabarimala service on the day to 1,265. Sources added that the schedules to be operated after 12pm on the Makaravilakku day will be with the conductors to prevent delay in issuing tickets.
Currently, the Nilackal-Pamapa chain service schedules are functioning without conductors as the tickets are issued at the counters set up at Pampa-Thriveni.
The additional buses pooled from other stations will be parked at Nilackal, Chalakkayam and on one side of Chalakkayam-Pampa road and at the Pampa station. Besides the 800 additional buses, another 200 buses will be kept ready as standby at the nearby KSRTC stations, sources said. Of this, 60 buses will be stationed at Erumely, 100 in Pathanamthitta and 40 at Ponkunnam depots, the sources said.