M.T. Krishna Babu, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of the AP State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has said that city bus services will be resumed in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam from Saturday.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, Mr. Krishna Babu said the bus services were being revived from Saturday in view of the recruitment tests to village/ward secretariat posts from September 19. After the exams, the RTC would continue the services in strict adherence to the guidelines issued by the Medical and Health Department, he said.
Commuters would be allowed to sit in alternate seats and only if the situation demands, both seats would be allowed to be occupied. Nobody would be allowed to stand and travel, he clarified, adding that use of thermal scanning and sanitisers would be mandatory.
Mr. Krishna Babu said people above 60 years should avoid travelling in view of the prevailing pandemic and also stated that the fare concessions extended to senior citizens by the RTC would not be available during the pandemic period.
Services to Telangana
Referring to the stalemate in the talks with the Telangana counterparts on revival of the bus services, he said the neighbouring State insisted on parity of routes which was not possible.
He said the Telangana RTC officials had given their route plan for Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. “We have suggested them to increase their bus services by 50 % by covering more cities in Andhra Pradesh that had demand. If they do not increase operations, we will have to reduce operations in 1 lakh kms of distance and we are ready even for that,” he said.
Mr. Krishna Babu said the private bus operators were taking undue advantage of the absence of RTC bus services and fleecing the public and hoped that the situation would improve soon.
Inauguration of flyover
Mr. Krishna Babu, who is also the Principal Secretary, Roads and Buildings, said the inauguration of the Kanaka Durga flyover had to be postponed for the second time.
First time, the programme was deferred due to the demise of former President Pranab Mukherjee and second time, due to the ill health of the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who was supposed to have inaugurated the project. He said the new date of the inauguration of the project would be announced soon.