Sri Vijaya Puram, July 28:Passengers travelling on the Sri Vijaya Puram–Diglipur State Transport Services (STS) Express bus via Kalighat are allegedly continuing to face inconvenience, with those holding valid tickets for Kalighat reportedly being dropped midway at Kalara instead of being taken to their booked destination.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha Daily, Ramnagar Gram Panchayat Pradhan Mithun Das alleged that the issue has been recurring despite repeated complaints from the public. According to him, the problem is largely associated with one particular STS bus driver, who allegedly follows this practice on most occasions.
Mr. Das alleged that the driver deliberately halts the express bus at Navagram and waits for a local bus arriving from behind. He claimed that passengers bound for Kalighat are then asked to get down from the express bus and board the local bus, enabling the express service to turn back without proceeding to Kalighat.
He said that the latest incident occurred in his presence when passengers travelling on STS Bus No. AN01 N 4178, operating on the Sri Vijaya Puram–Diglipur route via Kalighat, were allegedly dropped at Kalara despite having purchased tickets up to Kalighat Village. According to him, the passengers were informed that they should continue their journey by a connecting bus.
Mr. Das said the practice causes considerable hardship to commuters, particularly elderly persons, women and children. He pointed out that passengers purchase tickets expecting to be dropped directly at Kalighat along with their luggage. Instead, they are allegedly forced to change buses midway, often finding the local bus overcrowded, leaving many without seats and compelling them to travel standing for the remainder of the journey.
He further stated that he has received numerous complaints from affected passengers over the past several months and has repeatedly brought the matter to the notice of the concerned authorities. However, he alleged that no visible corrective action has been taken so far, allowing the same practice to continue.
Demanding immediate intervention, Mr. Das urged the Transport Department to conduct a thorough inquiry into the matter and verify the officially approved route, designated stopping points and ticketing arrangements of the concerned STS service. He said that if tickets are being issued up to Kalighat Village, passengers must be transported to their ticketed destination and should not be compelled to disembark at Kalara and depend on another connecting service.
He also called upon the authorities to issue necessary directions to the concerned drivers and conductors to strictly adhere to the prescribed route and passenger service norms. If any violation is found, appropriate action should be taken against those responsible, he said.
Mr. Das expressed hope that the administration would intervene at the earliest to ensure that such incidents are not repeated and that passengers receive the service for which they have paid.
