The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Vijayawada News : Bus services to Durga temple suspended

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Sunday, Jun 06, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

Bus services to Durga temple suspended

By Our Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA, JUNE 5. The Kanakadurga temple authorities on Saturday suspended bus services to the top of Indrakeeladri hillock for three days. The authorities said the services were being suspended in the wake of the accident in which a couple was crushed to death by a temple bus that lost control on the ghat road.

Services would be resumed only after the fleet is thoroughly checked. Though the Kanakadurga temple is second only to the Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) in revenue earnings, the fleet of vehicles that belong to the temple is in a dismal condition.

The Durga Malleswara Swamivarla Devasthanams had a small fleet of half-a-dozen mini-buses. One of the buses was sold away for scrap recently for reasons best known to the temple authorities. On the fateful day, a second bus had gone to the garage for maintenance. Free buses are operated from the temple to Radham centre, Canal Road, when devotees sponsor the services. Of the two buses being operated, one met with the accident on Friday owing to failure of brakes. Of the remaining three buses, one was scheduled to operate from the temple to Ramavarapadu centre, another to the railway station and the third one to the Pandit Nehru Bus Station.

The service from the temple to S.N. Puram was suspended quite some time ago for want of buses. The bus which shuttled between the temple and Ramavarapadu circle was scheduled to make eight trips a day and the buses to the railway and bus stations, 20 trips a day.

On any given week day, about 10,000 people offer prayers in the temple and about 1,000 (10 per cent) of them make use of the bus facility. By the same thumb-rule, about 3,000 to 4,000 people make use of the bus facility during week-ends. The bus, which was involved in an accident, has been sent to the garage for repair. The other four have been sent to the driving school in Gannavaram for a thorough examination.

The temple authorities said that services would resume only after they are certified fit for operation.

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