Aurangabad, Nov 8:
People used alternative transport services to reach their homes from the different parts of the State during Diwali festival because of the ongoing strike of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC). Some of them reached the village by train while others by black-and-yellow or private four-wheelers.
The agitating ST employees staged ‘chakka jam’ agitation on Monday. The demand for ST employees may be justified, but passengers expressed their displeasure about the strike in the festival season. The employees have been agitating for the last few days demanding the merger of MSRTC with the government.
The bus services were affected sometimes at Cidco bus stand while other time at central bus stands. The rural bus service was also disrupted. Around 25,000 passengers used alternative transport facilities in the festival season.
The agitation intensified on Monday as bus services in all the eight depots in the district were disrupted. The repair work was also halted due to the participation of workshop staff in the agitation. However, in all this, the commuters who go to their native place for Diwali, suffered a lot.
Some passengers also expressed fear that if the agitation continues for more days, the passengers will move for other alternatives forever. Divisional Transport Officer Amol Ahire said that all the buses in the district were not operational. Blacks and Yellow (Kali-Pili) jeeps surrounded the main bus stands of the city on Monday.
Travels agents and their drivers were seen attracting passengers to travel by their vehicles. A total of Rs 750 fare was charged for a private four-wheeler journey to Pune while private buses collected Rs Rs 550 from each passenger for the same destination. There are 80 buses of private travel agencies while the city has 3,654 tourists cabs.