Passengers’ Plight Over STS Bus Delays: ZPM Demands Route Adjustments for Better Connectivity

Rabindranath Biswas
Diglipur, February 16: Shri Mahadev Gain, Zilla Parishad Member, Radhanagar constituency, has reportedly applauded the decision of the STS Department to withdraw the detouring of Kalighat for the Port Blair-bound STS bus departing from Diglipur in the early morning at 5:00 a.m.
According to information, the Port Blair-bound STS bus departing from Diglipur in the early morning at 5:00 a.m. used to take a diversion from ATR/NH4 and enter Kalighat from Kalara Junction to pick up passengers while going to Port Blair; and while returning, the bus from Port Blair, departing at 4:30 a.m., reportedly used to enter Kalighat from the same Kalara Junction to drop off passengers. This had reportedly caused considerable resentment among the passengers. As such, the Zilla Parishad Member took up the matter with the higher authorities of the A & N Administration and urged them to withdraw this detouring service in the larger interest of the majority of the passengers. Accordingly, the STS Department has recently issued an order to withdraw this service. Notably, Andaman Sheekha Daily also carried the news, and it is seen as an impact of ASD’s coverage.
However, talking to Andaman Sheekha Daily, Mr. Mahadev Gain, the Zilla Parishad Member, Radhanagar constituency, said that in the wake of this decision/order to withdraw the detouring service to Kalighat, the PRI Members of the Kalighat region have reportedly shown their dissatisfaction with this decision of the STS Department. As such, the STS Department may reconsider withdrawing the detouring, as per the ZPM. Nonetheless, if the STS Department does not adhere to its decision to withdraw the detouring, then he demanded that the same bus arriving from Port Blair via the Kalighat route should also extend its route to Shyamnagar/Jal Tikrey (30 km from Diglipur Bazaar) and Lamiya Bay (22 km from Diglipur Bazaar) to drop off passengers. The majority of these passengers, being long-route residents of Shyamnagar/Jal Tikrey and Lamiya Bay, do not get a connecting bus on their routes and face difficulties due to the unexpected delay on the Kalighat route, Mr. Gain argued.
The ZPM further said that he has received complaints from STS bus passengers who have shared their frustrating travel experiences with him. Elaborating on the passengers’ experiences, the ZPM said that the Port Blair-bound STS bus, which departs from Diglipur in the early morning at 5:00 a.m., takes a diversion from ATR/NH4 and enters Kalighat from Kalara Junction to pick up passengers. Similarly, the bus from Port Blair, departing at 4:30 a.m., enters Kalighat from the same Kalara Junction to drop off passengers. As a result, this consumes the precious time of Port Blair-bound passengers onboard the STS bus, while also causing the bus to miss the 12:30 p.m. convoy. Consequently, passengers are forced to wait at the jetties for about two and a half hours, disrupting their entire journey, he maintained.
However, Mr. Gain also acknowledged the inconvenience faced by passengers boarding the Port Blair-bound STS bus (5:00 a.m. trip) from Kalighat. He stated that for the convenience of passengers from Kalighat & Ramnagar areas, there is reportedly a local connecting STS bus operating from Kalighat & Ramnagar to Diglipur in the morning hours, which solves the problem. He further suggested that passengers from Kalighat & Ramnagar could disembark at Kalara Junction and board the Port Blair-bound STS bus, thus eliminating the inconvenience. However, if this service is not operational, then it should be introduced to address this concern, the ZPM insisted.
Similarly, passengers arriving from Port Blair on the bus departing at 4:30 a.m. could get down at Kalara Junction and board the local STS bus operating in the evening from Diglipur Bazaar to Kalighat & Ramnagar. The schedule of this evening service should be adjusted to accommodate passengers arriving from Port Blair, Mr. Gain suggested.
According to Mr. Gain, the bus is required to enter the Kalighat route even for a single passenger, which is highly frustrating for the majority of those onboard. They are forced to spend about an extra hour traveling an additional 16 km (to and from Kalara Junction), bearing the inconvenience for just a few passengers.
The ZPM further said that the Port Blair-bound STS bus taking a detour to Kalighat on both its onward and return trips between Diglipur and Port Blair is unreasonable. Hence, the STS Department should stand by its decision and completely discontinue the detour of the Express Bus to Kalighat, he emphasized.