HYDERABAD: Bus and railway stations in Hyderabad witnessed a heavy rush on Sunday as people headed to their native places to celebrate Saddula Bathukamma and Dasara. The rush intensified on Saturday night, with buses and trains packed with passengers and heavy traffic reported on roads leading out of the city.
Passengers expressed concern over a 50% hike in fares of special buses operated by the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation, while private bus operators were accused of sharply increasing ticket prices. Some passengers alleged that operators cancelled tickets booked weeks in advance, forcing them to make fresh reservations at significantly higher prices just a day before departure.
“After cancelling the tickets, the operators are asking us to contact the booking apps through which we made the reservations. When we contact the apps, they ask us to get in touch with the bus operators. The operators are not responding directly,” said Sirisha, an IT employee.
She alleged that fares had risen nearly fourfold, leaving passengers with little choice but to pay more.
Railway stations across the twin cities have been recording a daily footfall of more than three lakh passengers since October 9, with the rush expected to continue until Tuesday.
Trains departing from Secunderabad, Nampally and Kacheguda were crowded, with general coaches packed with passengers. In view of the surge in demand, the South Central Railway (SCR) arranged around 600 additional trains, including special services from Cherlapally, Nampally, Kacheguda, Malkajgiri, Hi-Tec City and Lingampally stations.
RTC operating 7,000 special buses
At bus stations, passengers faced long waits and overcrowding despite the TGSRTC operating additional services. LB Nagar, a major boarding point for buses to Khammam, Suryapet, Kodad, Miryalaguda, Nalgonda, Vijayawada and other important destinations in Andhra Pradesh, witnessed a steady stream of passengers from early morning.
The TGSRTC is operating more than 7,000 special buses across the state, including around 2,500 from Hyderabad.
The Hyderabad–Vijayawada National Highway witnessed heavy congestion on Sunday as vehicles carrying festival-goers headed towards their native places. Traffic came to a standstill for nearly 4 km between Koyyalagudem and Choutuppal, with container trucks, lorries and buses adding to the congestion.
Heavy traffic was also reported on the Vijayawada-bound carriageway near the Panthangi toll plaza at Choutuppal.
