Mancherial surrounding villages continue to depend on private vehicles

Residents of villages surrounding Mancherial continue to depend on auto-rickshaws and two-wheelers due to inadequate public transport. A recent Naspur accident that claimed five women’s lives has renewed concerns, with villagers seeking safer and affordable bus services for daily commuting.

Mancherial: Residents of villages surrounding Mancherial town continue to depend on auto-rickshaws and two-wheelers for their daily commute, exposing themselves to risk due to the absence of a reliable public transport system.

The tragic Naspur road accident, in which five women from Gudipelli Venkatapur and Dharmaraopet villages lost their lives when an auto-rickshaw rammed into a lorry, has underscored the dangers of relying on private vehicles. As usual, the women were on their way to work when the mishap took place on Monday.

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“The women could have saved not only their lives, but also money if the free travel scheme on TGRTC buses was available. Residents of several villages located around the town are still forced to depend on private vehicles, shelling out huge amounts and risking their lives every day,” a family member of Aggu Soundarya (38), one of the five victims, opined.

Hundreds of men and women from Ponnaram, Sarangapalli, Adilpet, Venkatapur, Mudigunta, Kankur, Lemur, Mittapalli and Shankarpalli villages, spread within a 20-km radius in the northern parts of Mancherial town, are employed in commercial establishments in Mancherial town. They are required to travel to the town daily for their livelihood. Also, students belonging to these villages travel to educational institutions to attend classes.

Despite the risk, the hapless residents are left with no alternative but to use private vehicles. “Commuting by auto-rickshaws and two-wheelers to the town is inevitable, considering our livelihood. Private vehicles are the only means of transit for us, with villages still not being covered by the public transport system,” a resident of Ponnaram regretted.

TGRTC officials said new services would be operated to the villages if either villagers or their public representatives approached the corporation and additional buses were sanctioned. They maintained that the current fleet of services was sufficient for existing routes, leaving residents of these villages waiting for safer, affordable transportation.