Trinath
Billyground, Oct 14: Small-time trader, Pradip Halder recently hopped on to Nimbudera Express from the Mohanpura Terminus to collect vegetable stock for his shop. But little did he and other commuters sitting in the STS Bus knew that they would have to sweat out the entire journey till their destination, Nimbudera. The bus developed snags three times during the six hour odd journey and passengers could disembark late in the evening. Regular breakdown of the STS-run Nimbudera Express has drawn public ire of late.
Following persistent demands from the villagers of Basantipur, Harinagar, Swadeshnagar and Betapur areas, the State Transport Department replaced the decrepit Nimbudera Express Bus with a new one Nimbudera Express L & N about a month ago much to the respite of the villagers. However, the Bus was abruptly replaced with another ageing one about 5 five days by the STS authorities.
Since the old bus was pressed into service, commuters have been suffering countless miseries due to frequent breakdowns during the journey. “Every time the old Bus departs for its destination, it is bound to develop snags atleast 2 times during the journey. The situation has been particularly distressing for passengers when the Bus stops for repairs in the Jarawa reserve. On Oct 10, the Nimbudera Express suffered a breakdown in the Jarawa reserve area and passengers were forced to stay terrified for more than 2 hours. Moreover, elder citizens and children were left in extreme distress due to non-availability of food and water. After being tormented for hours, passengers could reach Nimbudera not before 10 pm in the night,” lamented a passenger speaking to Andaman Sheekha.
“Surprisingly, the Conductor or the Driver do not take any initiative to get a replacement from the Baratang STS Division and passengers were made to face the ordeal. It has become a routine for the Nimbudera Express to develop snags during the journey and many passengers are either forced to drop the journey or avail private transport service. Even today, the bus suffered a breakdown between Kadamtala and Kaushallyanagar,” informed a passenger informed over phone.
According to information, villagers of Nimbudera and adjoining areas are in a state of extreme unrest over the state of affairs and are planning to hold protests against the top brass of the Transport Department if the old STS bus is not replaced by a new one in the route in the next two days. The secretary and other senior officers of Transport Department has already intimated Andaman Sheekha that they are not interested in giving comment to media in any such issue hence they were not approached for a comment.
