Bus commuters feel the ‘bandh’ pinch

Hyderabad, Jan 20: Apprehending that buses would be targeted during the 48-hour bandh called by the Students Joint Action Committee, supported by the all-party Joint Action Committee, the Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Authority (Apsrtc) withdrew its services throughout the Telangana region leaving many commuters in the lurch.About 590 buses in Adilabad, 900 in Warangal, 815 in Mahabubnagar, 750 in Nalgonda, 600 in Medak, 800 in Karimnagar and 560 in Khammam were taken off the roads by the Apsrtc. Buses commuting between Krishna district and Telangana were also withheld.

Passengers were seen waiting in vain for buses at many bus bays in the city and some passengers were seen trying to haggle with auto drivers over fares.At the Imlibun Bus Depot, commuters from rural areas were seen trying to get some sleep as row of people dozing off could be seen.Meanwhile, train services were normal with the South Central Railway authorities maintaining local train services, including the MMTS without any interruption.