Passengers protest cancellation of Kothagudem-Hyderabad TGRTC bus services
Passengers in Kothagudem district have protested the cancellation of direct TGRTC bus services to Hyderabad from Kothagudem, Manuguru, Yellandu and Bhadrachalam. They alleged increased travel costs and inconvenience, while Left parties and RTC unions demanded restoration of services.
Kothagudem: Passengers travelling by TGRTC bus services have been expressing serious displeasure at the RTC officials over cancellation of many express as well as super luxury bus services running from different depots in the district to Hyderabad.
The passengers have alleged that the officials canceled direct bus services from Kothagudem, Manuguru, Yellandu and Bhadrachalam to Hyderabad. As a result they are forced to travel to Khammam and take a bus from there to go to Hyderabad.
According to sources, as many as 17 super luxury services and 12 express services from Kothagudem, 10 to 12 services from Bhadrachalam and Manuguru depots to Hyderabad have been cancelled in the past 20 days.
At the same time services to places like Narsapuram, Vijayawada, Guntur, Vizag and others in Andhra Pradesh are increased. Left wing parties and RTC trade unions have also expressed concern over the withdrawal of bus services to Hyderabad while increasing services to destinations in Andhra Pradesh.
Speaking to Telangana Today CPI (M) State committee member AJ Ramesh said cancelling direct bus services to Hyderabad, particularly in morning hours, is causing severe inconvenience as well as financial burden to passengers.
A super luxury bus ticket from Kothagudem to Hyderabad costs Rs 550. In the absence of a direct bus, one has to pay Rs 150 to go to Khammam and Rs 480 to go Hyderabad from there in a similar service. Thereby a passenger is forced to pay Rs 80 extra.
On the other hand, CPI Manuguru town secretary Durgyala Sudhakar complained that cancelling express and super luxury bus services troubling employees of Manuguru BTPS, SCCL and Heavy Water Plant who frequently commute to Hyderabad.
Cancelling express services is also causing inconvenience to women who travel to Kothagudem, Khammam and Hyderabad under the ‘Mahalakshmi’ scheme. The government boasts about providing free bus travel for women while simultaneously cancelling the services, he noted.
An RTC trade union leader informed that a delegation of different unions took the matter to the notice of Kothagudem MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao and he is yet to respond to the issue. The leaders of Left parties, RTC unions and the public demanded the officials to restore all the cancelled services forthwith.
