VIJAYAWADA: The day has almost arrived for the Andhra people, who are eagerly waiting to exercise their franchise to elect their beloved leader to power. However, the commute to their hometowns has become a herculean task for people, who migrated to other states for livelihood, as almost all the bus and railway stations are choked with incoming and outgoing passengers, especially in Vijayawada, Vizag, Tirupati and Kurnool cities, since Saturday evening.
In addition to this, vehicular traffic has choked Pantangi and Keesara toll plazas on the highway connecting Vijayawada and Hyderabad, as several Andhra people staying in Hyderabad for livelihood have opted to reach their hometowns on private vehicles.
Making the situation much worse, acute shortage of public transport was observed in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam as APSRTC has engaged the buses for election duty.
The Dwaraka Bus Station Complex and other bus stands in Visakhapatnam witnessed an unusual rush of people on Sunday, as voters headed to exercise their franchise in their respective hometowns.
Residents travelling to regions such as East Godavari, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Kakinada, and Vijayawada found themselves waiting in long queues as early as 6 in the morning, hoping to catch a bus to reach their destinations. However, many faced disappointment due to a shortage of buses, prompting complaints directed at the officials.
“We do not know if it’s a political strategy or a miscalculation by the officials, but there is a huge shortage of buses. We have been waiting for over an hour to board a bus to Srikakulam, but all the buses are filled to capacity. It’s frustrating,” expressed a group of commuters at the RTC complex in Visakhapatnam, who are heading towards Srikakulam.
They further questioned that when authorities are able to arrange buses efficiently during festivals like Sankranti and Dasara, why can’t they do the same for the elections.
Meanwhile, voters from Nellore, Tirupati, and Chittoor districts who have migrated to cities such as Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad are making their way back to their native places to cast their votes.
However, the journey to their homes has not been without its challenges, particularly due to the limited availability of transportation services. They have encountered difficulties due to the insufficient number of services, especially on routes from Nellore to Atmakur, Udayagiri, Seetharamapuram, Kavali, Kadapa-Nellore, Tirupati-Nellore, Chittoor-Tirupati, and rural parts of the Chittoor district. Approximately 20% to 25% of people from rural areas, particularly in upland mandals like Udayagiri, Seetharamapuram, Varikuntapadu, and others, have migrated to urban centres in search of employment opportunities.
From Friday onwards the inward traffic of these migrants has increased. Several faced transportation problems.
Ramanjaneyulu, a migrated returnee who belongs to Aspari village in Kurnool district, said he along with twenty others has engaged a private minibus to come from Guntur as they couldn’t get a bus or train ticket.
Online bus ticketing platform RedBus has said it forecasted a 47 per cent increase in intercity bus bookings on the weekend in poll-bound Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, before the May 13 elections, compared to the previous weekend.
Meanwhile, APSRTC managing director Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao in a press release said that the corporation has provided 5,458 buses for election duty, which is 55% of the total buses with APSRTC.
He said though there was a shortage of buses, they had made arrangements to clear the heavy rush of the people coming to cast their votes in their respective towns and villages in Andhra Pradesh.
“From May 8 to 12, an additional 1,066 special buses from Hyderabad and 284 special buses from Bengaluru have been arranged. Depending on the rush from Hyderabad to Vijayawada, some more additional services were operated. Similarly, additional buses were operated from Vijayawada to Vizag, Rajamahendravaram, Tirupati, Nellore, Kakinada, Eluru, Ongole, Guntur and other places. Depending on the rush, the depot managers concerned will make necessary arrangements,” he explained.
APSRTC MD further informed that if there is a group of 30 to 40 people going to the same destination, they can contact the election cell in RTC headquarters (9959111281) and necessary measures will be taken to arrange special buses from respective bus stations.
5,458 buses provided for election duty
APSRTC managing director Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao in a press release said that the corporation has provided 5,458 buses for election duty, which is 55% of the total buses with APSRTC. He informed that from May 8 to 12, additional 1,066 special buses from Hyderabad have been arranged