Residents in Guwahati are facing a hard time commuting with minimal numbers of buses and other public vehicles plying on the city’s roads.
Most of the private city buses and other public vehicles have been requisitioned for use in the ongoing Assam Assembly elections.
Buses in Guwahati have become fewer even before the first phase of the Assam Assembly elections in 11 Upper Assam districts on March 27.
With most private city buses off the streets, commuters are now largely now dependent on government buses to travel across Guwahati.
Also read: Travelling on Assam’s national highway to become dearer from April 1
However, the absence of sufficient numbers of government buses operated directly by the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is adding to the woes of commuters, who are forced to avail themselves for long intervals at bus stops to catch a vehicle.
Moreover, people are being forced to board buses that are already packed to capacity with passengers and with this surface the fear of the spread of Covid-19.
While Covid-19 cases are already increasing, maintaining public distance and following other protocols have become the need of the hour.
“I am facing immense problem while commuting to the office. I have to board private buses, which are already packed to capacity. The frequency of government buses is not good and one has to wait for a long time to catch them,” said Dipen Deka, a young professional.
“It is not possible to take cabs and autorickshaws to work every day in absence of sufficient numbers of city buses as travelling by them prove to be very expensive,” said Anima Guha, a professional.
On the other hand, the Holi festivities have seemed to have worsened the problem as most city buses do not ply on the city streets during the festival.