Ahead of the upcoming Ganeshotsav festival, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will operate 5,000 additional buses between August 23 and September 7 for Konkan-bound devotees. The Maharashtra transport minister and MSRTC Chairman Pratap Sarnaik announced this at the review meeting.
Sarnaik was speaking at a meeting called in his office in the Ministry to discuss the extra traffic during the Ganpati festival. The meeting was attended by the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Corporation, Dr. Madhav Kusekar, and all the ST departments.
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After the Maharashtra Government declared Ganeshotsav as a state festival, the transport minister noted that the Ganesh festival holds special significance for Konkan residents, as MSRTC special buses will help Ganpati devotees to make their travel smooth and easy. “The bond between Konkan, Ganpati Bappa and ST is sacred. Every year, we run special buses regardless of profit or loss,” he said.
These buses are being made available for reservation on the official website npublic.msrtcors.com, and the reservation of these buses will be available at the bus stand or through the corporation's MSRTC Bus Reservation app.
ST Corporation also made 5,200 extra buses available for the recently concluded Ashadhi Ekadashi Yatra. The devotees' response was overwhelming, so ST has decided to make 5,000 extra buses available for the Ganpati festival as well. Group reservations will start on July 22, with additional discounts for women and senior citizens. Along with individual bus reservations, senior citizens who are above 75 years of age will receive a 100% discount on ticket prices, and women will receive a 50% discount on ticket prices.
These additional buses will be launched from major bus stands in Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar divisions on August 23. Last year, 4,300 buses were launched. To ensure smooth ST traffic during Ganeshotsav, employees will work around the clock at bus stands and bus stops under the supervision of senior ST officials. Vehicle repair teams will also be deployed at various places on the highways in Konkan.