Title - For travellers to Seemandhra, there is still no end to travails

APSRTC operates only 52 per cent of services in Seemandhra region

Citizens wanting to go towards any part of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions continue to get hassled, what with a majority of bus services, cancelled owing to the ongoing ‘Samaikyandhra’ agitations.While APSRTC could operate only 52 per cent of services in the Seemandhra region on Saturday, private bus operators operated only 25 per cent.Of the 280 buses that are operated from MGBS towards East and West Godavari and Guntur districts, only 80 were operated. Majority of the 350 services towards Bangalore sector continue to be suspended.corporation suffered revenue losses to the tune of Rs.8 crore due to cancellation of services.The authorities said services would be restored only after police instructions. Similar is the case with private bus operators.It is not just those connecting the capital, most of the 400-odd buses shuttling between Vijayawada and Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Bangalore and Vijayawada and Bangalore routes, too, were cancelled.In total, the private bus operators have been incurring a mindboggling loss of about Rs.1 crore per day due to cancellations, says H.S.C Bose, honorary president, A.P. Private Bus Operators Association.

“There is huge demand for tickets to Tirupati, generally on Saturdays, but this weekend, the situation is bad. Of the 800 seats available, only 100 seats were booked,” says Mr. Bose.

However, most of the trains were being operated as per schedule.

Keeping in view of the situation, South Central Railway has introduced about 10 special trains towards coastal districts from the capital for the convenience of passengers.