Gandhinagar, Feb 19 (IANS) The Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) has announced an increase in bus services to accommodate passengers travelling during the Holi and Dhuleti festivals.
Under Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, the corporation will operate an additional 1,300 buses, running over 7,500 trips between February 27 and March 5 this year.
The extra services aim to ease the mode of transportation for citizens celebrating festivals with their families and provide special arrangements for passengers from Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Amreli, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, and Bhuj travelling towards Godhra, Dahod, Jhalod, and Chhota Udepur.
Lakhs of devotees are expected to visit Dakor for the ‘fuldol’ festival and Dwarka for worship. To facilitate this, 450 additional buses have been allocated for 3,500 trips specifically for passengers heading to Dwarka and Dakor.
“These additional buses will ensure smooth travel for devotees and minimise any inconvenience during the festival period,” the corporation stated.
To manage the expected crowds, GSRTC has arranged online booking facilities.
During the Mahashivratri fair, which took place from February 11 to 15 at the Bhavnath Mahadev Temple near Girnar in Junagadh district, GSRTC stepped up its transport services to manage the surge of pilgrims attending the annual event.
In preparation for the five-day religious gathering often referred to as a ‘Mini Kumbh’, GSRTC deployed 195 additional buses and operated more than 7,800 trips to serve devotees travelling to and from the fairground.
Of these, 80 extra buses were dedicated to the route between Junagadh bus station and the Bhavnath foothills, while 115 express buses served long-distance travellers from neighbouring districts.
–IANS
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