Visakhapatnam
Huge rush was witnessed at the city railway station and bus station at Dwarakanagar as people were going to their native places to celebrate the Sankranti festival.
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) Visakhapatnam Regional Manager A. Appala Raju said that the bus station at Dwarakanagar was more crowded on Thursday than previous days.
“The Sankranti holidays of schools and colleges began on Thursday. Most of the passengers boarded buses for Palakonda, Vizianagaram, Parvathipuram and Ichchapuram at the Dwaraka Bus Station. We are operating more than 500 special buses to clear the rush of passengers,” Mr. Appala Raju said.
He said that the APSRTC was plying special buses to the destinations depending on the demand.
Meanwhile, the Road Transport Authority (RTA) officials conducted surprise raids at the entry and exit points of the city to check for violations by the contract carrier coming from long routes such as Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru. They checked for collection of exorbitant fare from the passengers by these carriers.
RTA Deputy Transport Commissioner G.C. Raja Ratnam said that the officials had registered 87 cases against private buses and imposed a fine of ₹2.3 lakh so far. The raids started on January 9 and will continue till January 7, he said.
“We have not received any complaints from passengers regarding the exorbitant fares,”Mr. Raja Ratnam said.
