Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, Jan 09: The Night Bus Service between Diglipur and Port Blair has become a nightmare for passengers as due to negligence, passengers are suffering too much inside the private bus during the journey.
Although the bus remains house-full everyday and tickets remain unavailable for the emergency travellers just because, the time suits people of all sections, but passengers complain that due to business tricks passengers are made to suffer by the Bus Operators.
According to passengers the bus takes full load of vegetables on the roof for Port Blair city and due to the overloading the windows of the bus have become loose as a result, the window glass panels roll here and there during entire journey.
Passengers complain that in many seats they can’t close the window panels and hence they have to suffer during entire journey at chilly nights of December and January. Senior citizens and children are the worst suffers.
Moreover, the busses used for night journey are actually old and placed into service after refurbish and hence it develops technical snags often.
Recently, the SS Transport Bus, which left 10.30PM on 7th Jan from Diglipur suffered a breakdown at Mayabunder, but one should note that Mayabunder is not a stop for the bus, because it is not having its permit to go Port Blair via Mayabunder.
Sources allege that to please some higher officials who reside at Mayabunder, four tickets are allocated for Mayabunder passengers. Sadly neither Administration nor Police take cognizance of the route permit violation.
On 7th Jan the same bus again suffered breakdown at Kadamtala. At Kadamtala the passengers were told that another bus will reach from Rangat, which will accommodate them but the passengers who are having urgent work had to spent Rs. 100/- more to take STS bus to reach Port Blair. Finally the passengers who have to reach Port Blair at 9.30AM reached at 2.00 PM.
There is a need to direct the bus owners to provide satisfactory and safe service to people as the night service has become a great hit for North Andaman residents.
Considering the heavy demand for Night service bus tickets, the STS should also start AC night bus service for Diglipur from Port Blair.
not only that, most of the male passenger drunk during journey to make their journey better; that’s why females r faced a lot.