Pilgrim influx serves a breather to KSRTC

The unprecedented rush of devotees to Sabarimala in the first leg of the annual pilgrimage season has given a much-needed succour to the cash-strapped Kerala State Transport Corporation.    The State-owned carrier, which operates chain bus services between Nilackal and Pampa, has clocked over ₹5 crore in the first 11 days of the season. The biggest single day collection reported so far was ₹62 lakh , when over 70,000 pilgrims visited the hill on November 25. As many as 130 buses including 40 AC buses have been deployed for the chain service, which operate on a round-the-clock basis. An additional batch of 30 buses have been deployed for operating the long distance services to centres such as Kottayam, Chengannur and Ernakulam etc. The total number of tickets sold so far is around eight lakhs”,” said Sunil Kumar, KSRTC special officer, Pampa. These are in addition to the nearly 230 schedules operated to Pampa from different centres across the State on a daily basis.   Official sources said the heavy inflow of pilgrims has forced the agency to push up the frequency of chain services to five buses a minute during the peak hours. The ticket fares per head are fixed at ₹80 for AC buses and ₹50 for non-AC buses.   As per estimates, over 50% of the total pilgrims who have depended on the service so far are non-Keralites. Buoyed by this influx from neighbouring States, the Corporation is opening inter-State services from Pampa to three destinations -Palani, Tenkasi and Coimbatore, from Wednesday onward. Based on the response from passengers, it is also looking to open services to locations such as Kanyakumari, Madurai and Theni as well. The sharp surge in revenue, meanwhile, comes against the backdrop of an online campaign against the alleged fleecing of devotees by charging excess fares. The KSRTC, however, has denied the accusation, citing that ticket fares for special service are higher than the normal fare.