Cab drivers cash in on trains’ absence, ST buses run full

PUNE: Sarasbaug’s Ashok Chorathe on Monday struggled to reach his workplace — a private firm at Navi Mumbai — amid incessant rain and dearth of transport options.
“I really had no idea that all the trains between Mumbai and Pune had been cancelled. Chaos greeted me when I went to the railway station first. I looked for a cab, but the fares were too high. Finally, I am at the ST bus stand. I shall be late for sure,” Chorathe told TOI at the Swargate bus terminus of the state transport.
A driver of a Mumbai-bound ST bus said the passenger traffic was heavy from the early morning. “In the early morning hours, the rush was huge, mainly on buses going towards Mumbai. Buses going to Nashik, Kolhapur and some other destinations were full too,” the driver said.
Yamini Joshi, MSRTC’s Pune divisional controller, said around 100 additional buses had been kept on reserve and were being used as per necessity. “We are trying to ensure that passengers don’t feel hassled. The passenger traffic is heavy towards the morning and evening time. The buses are being used on different routes as and when required. All depots are on an alert,” she said.
Another MSRTC official said the bus service to areas like Ganapati Pule, Ratnagiri, Khed, and Chiplun was an issue. “The Tamhini Ghat is dangerous right now with lot of waterlogging and chances of landslides. Hence, we are not plying any buses along that route. There are many passengers on that route, too, and we are looking for an alternative route to connect,” the official said.
Crazy cab fares
Satish Gaikwad, a resident of Kondhwa, said, “When I checked the Ola application for a cab to Mumbai, the fares were between Rs1,700 and Rs3,000 for different kinds of vehicles. This is shocking. There seems no control on surge. I dropped the idea.”
Gaurav Prasad of Kothrud said, “The Mumbai-bound private cabs near the railway station demanded Rs1,000. I have gone in these cabs earlier and the fares have never been more than Rs400. I had to take the ride as I had to be in Mumbai on Monday.”
27 trains cancelled
The rush for buses and cabs was the rippling effect of no train plying between Pune and Mumbai on Monday. The situation is will remain the same on Tuesday with the southeast ghat section between Karjat and Lonavla still closed.
A source said Saturday’s landslide in the section was severe and the restoration work was still on. “The northeast ghat section (Kasara-Igatpuri) is also closed from Sunday,” a railway official said.
Around 15 trains have been diverted and the rest are either cancelled or short-terminated. All the intercity trains, including Deccan Queen and Sinhagad Express, were cancelled till Monday. “Chances of these trains running on Tuesday are less,” the official said, adding that the local trains from Pune to Lonavla were running.
“Round-the-clock work is on to restore the Badlapur-Karjat and Karjat-Lonavla Ghat sections,” the Central Railway’s chief PRO, Sunil Udasi, said.
A large number of passengers kept waiting at Pune station on Monday for many northbound trains, either cancelled or diverted.
Flyers start early
Many flyers left their homes or offices early on Monday to avoid delay because of waterlogged roads though not many flights were delayed.
Some passengers sent Tweets to the authorities for advices. “Is the road from Pune airport towards Kondhwa operational?” asked one. Another tweeted to the Pune traffic police, asking about the safest route to reach the airport from Wakad.
“There have been some flight delays, but they were not huge,” an airport official said.