Srinagar, Sep 15: The unavailability of public transport to the Rangreth area of Srinagar outskirts is taking a toll on the passengers.
Passengers across Srinagar have decried the unavailability of transport on the Lal Chowk-Rangreth route.
A delegation of passengers said that they were left stranded most of the time due to the unavailability of public transport.
The Rangreth area which is the industrial hub has a footfall of officer goers who are dependent on public transport for travel.
They said most of the time, cabs and buses were unavailable which is taking a toll on them.
The passengers said that in the evenings and peak hours there are no cabs or buses available for the passengers.
They said that the problem is most prevalent on the Rangreth route.
“This issue is taking a toll on the office goers, students, women, and elderly. The area is a hub of private companies and other industrial units. Most of the employees don’t own personal transport due to which they suffer. We are losing hours of office time in waiting. Our jobs are at stake due to flawed transport service,” said Adil Ahmad, an office goer.
Passengers said the public transport does not follow any routine.
They said that daily school children, the elderly, and women keep waiting.
“The area is a center for online exams, NTA exams, and other competitive tests. The area is also home to many IT institutes. Most students rely on cabs for traveling and at times they miss their classes and exams due to the issue,” said a student.
The passengers said that the Road Transport Corporation (RTC) had stopped regular bus service to the area making things worse for them.
They said that they want the RTC to press multiple buses on the route so that they do not suffer.
A senior RTC official said that due to some technical issues some buses had been grounded which was why the service had been affected.
“We are carrying out repairs on those buses. We will soon have dedicated buses plying on the route. Despite being short on the fleet, we still press buses on the route from time to time,” the official said.