Title - Rush in trains and buses for Sankranti, Pongal

Hyderabad: Sankranthi and Pongal  holidays are the time for  annual trips home for a large number of professionals and students, but with Railways and RTC bus reservations booked much in advance, travellers are having a hard  time finding a means of transport.Despite railway authorities running special trains, it is not meeting the demand. All reservations for luxury buses are full and  passengers  are forced to pay up three to four times the fare for private carriers.Reservations on trains  closed nearly a month ago, especially in Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Bengaluru routes, leaving travellers heavily dependent on private buses and cabs. To add to the woes, private buses and railway agents are minting money  taking advantage of the crunch situation.Meanwhile, traffic outflow from the city has led to severe traffic jams leaving thousands of passengers stranded on the way.Traffic came to a standstill on Hyderabad-Vijayawada national highway leaving hundreds stranded near toll plazas.The RTC authorities in Tirupati said that the passenger rush remains unprecedented in the region thanks to the proximity to Chennai and Benguluru, with thousands of people shuttling between the distances.In Rajahmundry,  commuters paid almost triple the fare and yet were accommodated on make-shift chairs in buses due to which, some passengers  fell whenever  the driver applied sudden brakes. In Vijayawada, passengers could not board RTC buses due to a stampede like situation.

Vehicles passing through the Keesara toll plaza increased on Friday and Saturday touched more than 16,000 as against normal 10,000 daily.

Due to the rush, travel time between Hyderabad and Vijayawada increased  to seven to eight hours as against the normal four hours.