Harrowing time for women as Hry Roadways bus breaks down at 4am
KARNAL: At least 12 young working women passengers travelling in a luxury bus run by Haryana Roadways had to face a harrowing time in the wee hours of Monday after they were told to make arrangements on their own to reach Delhi as the bus they were travelling in broke down in Haryana’s Karnal, the mid-point on the Chandigarh-Delhi route.
At 4am, these women had to go to the NH 44, seeking lift, as the bus staff, claiming that the vehicle had developed a technical snag, parked the bus at an eatery on the outskirts of Karnal.
“The bus started at 2.40am from Chandigarh and stopped at Karnal around 4am for a break. But it could not continue further and the conductor said there were some problems with the brakes and window of the bus,” said Nikita Budhraj, an aggrieved passenger, adding that all 50 passengers of the bus were told to make their own arrangements for the remaining journey.
According to Nikita, there were 11 other women in the bus who were rendered helpless as the bus staff did not make any effort for any alternative arrangements, except assuring that their entire ticket fare would be refunded.
“Male passengers took lift in private vehicles, but the women were stranded and after waiting for an hour, arranged a taxi online at ₹700 per head from Karnal to Delhi,” she added.
However, this was not the first such instance for Nikita as she had on May 21 also faced a similar situation when her bus stopped at the same eatery and the passengers were told to continue their journey by their own at 2.30am.
“But at that time, I was lucky as my relative sent a car for me from Chandigarh and I managed to report in time at my office in Gurugram,” Nikita said, adding, “but other women were left with no other option but to wait for hours on the road then too”.
Such repeated incidents have serious raised questions on the services provided by the Haryana Roadways.
When this issue was taken up with Haryana Roadways officials, it was found that the luxury buses were purchased by state transport department in 2012-13 and most of them were in bad shape.
Of 10 such buses of the Chandigarh depot, only one is in working condition after undergoing the repair works, it has been learnt.
But the Gurugram depot has got 18 such buses plying, creating problem for the passengers.
“This matter was brought to my knowledge and I have held a meeting to review the condition of these 18 buses of our depot,” said Gurugram depot general manager Gaurav Antil.
He, however, admitted that most of the buses were not in good condition and will be put out of service to avoid any inconvenience to passengers in future.
On safety of women passengers, he said there was the need to sensitise the drivers and conductors, so that they could make alternative arrangements if a bus breaks down.
Since its inception, the luxury bus service of Haryana Roadways was considered best owing to its comfortable booking schedule and easy availability from Sector 17 in Chandigarh. The roadways officials said the state government had already sent the proposal to buy more six buses, and was waiting for the reply.