BJP rally leaves Hyderabad bus commuters stranded

The mobilisation of crowds for Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s padayatra came at a cost to ordinary commuters on Monday, as the diversion of dozens of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) buses for the BJP event left passengers waiting for long durations at bus stops across the city.

With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hiring city buses from several depots to ferry people to the rally, many commuters were forced to turn to the Metro Rail or wait for services that did not arrive. Those dependent on ordinary bus services, particularly pass holders, found their travel options limited.

Around 4 p.m. at Nampally, a stream of empty buses, decorated with BJP flags, headed towards the Exhibition Grounds after dropping off participants near the padayatra venue in Basheerbagh. At a bus shelter nearby, passengers watched the buses pass, hoping for a regular service to arrive.

“I left early today learning that buses would not be allowed on this route after some time. It looks like they have already been cancelled,” said Arunamma, a Class IV worker of a government office nearby. A family with children and luggage waited at the same bus stop, hoping to catch a bus to Secunderabad.

However, the services available were either SETWIN buses or higher-priced deluxe services. “We have ordinary bus passes, but no ordinary bus has passed by for nearly half an hour,” said a female member of that family. On a regular day, several services, including routes 8, 20, 5 and 49, connect the area to Secunderabad.

“A large number of city buses have been hired for the event. From our depot alone, 30 services were taken out,” said a driver from the Jeedimetla depot. Attempts to contact TGSRTC officials to ascertain the total number of buses withdrawn from regular services did not elicit a response.

Meanwhile, the Red Line of the Hyderabad Metro, which connects L.B. Nagar and Miyapur, witnessed an unusually heavy rush, with several commuters opting for the trains to reach the event.