HYDERABAD: With the Mahalakshmi scheme being seen as a godsend by most women in the state, they have found the best way to utilise the free travel in TSRTC buses by visiting shrines and offering prayers. The scheme has given women the freedom to travel across the state without paying a paisa — unthinkable till about a month ago for lakhs of women across the state.
There has been a staggering 80% increase in the footfall at both the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple (Yadadri) and Sree Seetha Ramachandraswamy Vari Devasthanam (Bhadrachalam) temples,” said the temple officials and added,“The income of the temple has also increased by 40%. We have been witnessing packed buses with women passengers heading to various shrines in the state.”
A depot manager at Yadagirigutta, D Srinivas, said: “There has been heavy rush witnessed at Yadadri specially during weekends. Initially, before the scheme, we just saw around 30 to 40% occupancy, which has now gone up to 80%.”
Another official at Yadadri said, “Around 1,000 vrathams are being performed daily after the scheme was launched. Whereas before this, the number stood around 500 to 600 per day.”
“We have seen a huge rush in PalleVelugu and Express buses bound for Seetha Ramachandra Swamy Temple in Bhadrachalam,” said a depot manager at Bhadrachalam.
Annapurna, a passenger who travelled to Yadadri said, “Earlier when me and my friends wanted to visit a shrine which is located in the outskirts of the city, we at least had to shell out Rs 100 to Rs 150 for our travel. However, the Mahalakshmi scheme has encouraged us to visit more shrines in and around the state.”
Just one day before the Mahalakshmi scheme was launched, the number of passengers on the Secunderabad-Yadari route was around 27,600. However, after the scheme was introduced, the passenger number stood at 37,000 per day. TSRTC has been making as many as 171 trips to Yadadri per day with around 250 buses.
Towards Bhadrachalam, the passenger count stood at only 19,000 per day earlier, which rose to around 24,000 after the scheme was launched. However, the buses on this route are less as compared to that of Yadadri. Around 220 buses ply to Bhadrachalam daily, making around 323 trips.
Safety concerns
Meanwhile, on the other side, a few women passengers also pointed out the safety concerns while travelling in buses and the frequency of buses. Sri Latha, who is a regular traveller, said, “After the launch, the women's section in almost all the buses is completely packed, due to which we are sometimes forced to footboard. It also becomes difficult for us to take the zero ticket from the conductor, as it becomes difficult for him/her to get into the women’s section.”
Another woman passenger pointed to the low frequency. Owing to greater passenger movement, the passengers have demanded the corporation take steps to increase the number of buses in every route, as now most women would prefer travelling in buses after the launch of the scheme, she added.
Speaking to TNIE, TSRTC Managing Director VC Sajjanar said, “In order to meet the increasing demand of passengers, around 2,000 buses will be introduced in a phased manner by March 2024.”These include 400 Express, 512 Palle Velugu, 92 Lahari sleeper-cum-seater, 56 AC Rajdhani, 540 electric and 500 buses in the rest of the state.
In December 2023, the corporation flagged off as many as 80 buses in the city. The brand-new fleet includes 30 Express, 30 Rajdhani (AC), and 20 Lahari sleeper-cum-seater (non AC) buses.However, approximately 4,000 buses in TSRTC are very old and smaller in size with less number of seats as compared to the new ones, posing a risk of overcrowding.
TSRTC to constitute a high-level committee to look into demands of private bus owners
The TSRTC has decided to constitute a high-level committee to look into the concerns of private bus owners who threatened a strike if their demands were not met. Private bus owners brought to the attention of TSRTC officals five issues, the main one being the impact of Mahalakshmi scheme on their business. To this, TSRTC MD VC Sajjanar assured a favourable decision once they examine the recommendations of the said committee.