Rohtak depot of Haryana Roadways records 45% dip in passenger count

Ravinder Saini

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Rohtak, February 18

The Rohtak depot of Haryana Roadways has recorded a sharp decline of around 45 per cent in the count of passengers following the sealing of various roads and borders in the state to prevent Punjab’s farmers from entering Haryana and Delhi.

Sharp decline

As many as 60,000 people travel by roadways’ and private buses daily to various places from Rohtak but the count declined to 33,000 following an advisory issued by the police not to travel unnecessarily in view of the farmers’ protest. Official, Haryana Roadways’ Rohtak Depot

The roadways officials claim the number may fall further if the routes remain disrupted and diverted in coming days as well. The depot’s revenue decreased by over Rs 12 lakh on the first two days of the farmers’ protest as compared to average collection earlier.

“As many as 60,000 people travel by roadways’ and private buses daily to various places from Rohtak but the count declined to 33,000 in the past two days following an advisory issued by the police to passengers asking them not to travel unnecessarily in view of the farmers’ protest,” said an official at the Rohtak depot on anonymity.

He said all routes had witnessed a drop in the passengers but the number was much higher on the Delhi, Chandigarh, Jind, Hisar and Sirsa routes as these had been completely sealed at various places. However, the buses were plying on driverted routes, he added.

The official claimed many passengers had started traveling to Delhi by train as the Tikri-Bahadurgarh and Jharoda border had been sealed by the Delhi and Jhajjar police while the diverted routes took more time to reach the destination.

Amit Girdhar, who travels to Nangloi (Delhi) daily from Rohtak for his business, said he had been travelling by train to reach Delhi since Tuesday as there was no blockade on the rail track. “I will continue to do so until the Tikri border is not opened,” he said.

Like Amit, there are many others who have changed their mode of public transportation due to the blockade on roads in view of the farmers’ protest.

Similarly, residents of Bahadurgarh town (Jhajjar) and nearby areas are preferring Metro instead of personal vehicles to go beyond the Tikri border as the diverted routes are longer.

On the other hand, the Delhi Police have provided the passersby a little space to cross the Tikri border amid barricading. Only one person can pass through it at one time while other space has been blocked by multiple barricading of concrete blocks and barbed wires.