Miffed over bad roads in Alappuzha, private bus operators to approach district collector; say no plans to hold strike

Alappuzha: The private bus operators in Alappuzha town area have decided to formally submit a complaint against the deplorable condition of roads with the District Collector on Saturday. The heavy rains over the past few days have left several roads almost unmotorable with cratered surfaces. The slippery mud on the roads that dug up for the city gas pipeline project and certain stretches of the under-construction highway poses risk for motorists as well as pedestrians.

“We are unable to conduct bus services at the moment. We are already facing a tough time trying to break even with the dwindling number of passengers. Now, on top of it, we face huge expenses on maintenance and repair works due to the pathetic condition of the roads,” said S M Nasser, secretary of the Kerala Bus Transport Association (KBTA). 

A high-level meeting convened on Thursday attended by MLAs of the district and officials of various departments including the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had decided to temporarily halt the city gas pipeline laying works in Alappuzha town due to the incessant rains. Instructions were also passed to NHAI to fill potholes soon after noticing it. However, the bus operators are not too optimistic about it. 

“The NHAI uses crushed tar from the existing stretches of the highway dug up for the expansion works to level the potholes. It does not even last a few hours. In no time, the condition of the road will become worse. The bumpy ride of the buses is adversely affecting the health of the machines and the people travelling in it alike,” says Nasser. 

There is also the issue of maintaining the schedule. Over 60 buses currently operate in the Alappuzha town area. The time difference between most of the services is nearly 2 minutes. 

“The buses are supposed to ply at intervals of 2-3 minutes. But due to the bad condition of the roads, we are unable to keep time. So, the bus plying ahead is forced to skip certain stops to maintain a time gap with the ones following it. This is costing us huge revenue losses. The situation may turn worse with the reopening of schools," said the bus operator.

“Some of the roads in front of the schools are nothing short of a wreck. We worry that severe traffic snarls in the area will prove hazardous to students and motorists. Also, while we try to limit the number of students entering a bus to 4 or 5, the students prefer to get into one bus as a single large group. We cannot stop them because we would be presented as the wrongdoers by not allowing students onto the bus,” Nasser added. 

As of now, the decision is to present a complaint before the district collector. The operators hope that the authority will initiate suitable steps to address the issue. 

“We do not intend to go on a strike. We hope the administration will take the necessary steps and make the roads motorable soon. As of now, we have no plans to call for a strike,” Nasser clarified.