Sabarimala pilgrimage breathes new life into crisis-hit State carrier
The Hindu
PATHANAMTHITTA
Clad in the ubiquitous black and carrying Irumudikettu on their head, they have breathed a new life into the crisis–hit Kerala State Transport Corporation (KSRTC).
With the annual pilgrimage season in Sabarimala just completing its first two weeks, the State carrier has clocked a record income of ₹6.79 crore from its Sabarimala special services. The agency, which currently operates 171 buses in the Pampa-Nilackal sector, besides 40 buses from other centres, has so far conducted 21,320 trips to and for Pampa, the base station of Sabarimala.
The number of daily services, meanwhile, has grown from 531 on the first day to 2,105 on November 29. Besides the chain services, the corporation is also operating direct services to Pampa from five centres including Chengannur, Kottayam and Thiruvanathapuram.
The latest figures, according to KSRTC officials, mark a quantum jump over the numbers clocked during the 2018- 2019 season, when the overall income stood around ₹30 crore.
“The biggest single day collection of ₹75.52 lakh was reported on November 27, followed by ₹69.75 lakh reported on November 29. The previous best figures for a single day till this season was ₹68 lakh as reported in 2018-2019,” said Shibu Kumar, KSRTC special officer, Sabarimala.
The ticket counters at Nilackal have witnessed long, winding queues of pilgrims throughout the season, prompting the authorities to augment the frequency of services from other centres. Of the 40 services from other centres, as many as 18 are on the inter-State route such as Coimbatore and Thenkasi and plans are afoot to launch services to other destinations including Chennai and Theni, based on requirement.
“We are having a really tough time in managing the rush as the arrival of devotees in the season has been well beyond the expected levels. If the influx continues unceasing, we will be forced to operate additional services by diverting buses in between their normal schedules,” the official added.
Maharashtra's 29 civic bodies, including Mumbai, hold elections with 3.48 crore voters choosing 2,869 corporators amid intense competition.
Congress leader B.V. Rajeev Gowda from Shidlaghatta in Chikkaballapur district allegedly threatened the Municipal Commissioner of the town of setting fire to her office and getting her beaten up, and used abusive language, over a flex and banner that was removed for violating norms.
Police in Vizag seize 650 rolls of banned Chinese manjha amid safety concerns as illegal sales continue ahead of Sankranti.
Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar clarifies Rahul Gandhi's message was simply to continue good work, dismissing any speculation.
Over 51,000 hearings in Ernakulam help reinstate voting rights as part of the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls.
The foundation stone for the construction of Shri Parashurama Swagata Gopura (Welcome Tower) in the northern entry to Udupi city will be laid by Yashpal Suvarna, Udupi MLA and president of Shiroor Mutt Paryaya Swagata Samiti on January 16.
The municipal bus stand auditorium in Malappuram was packed. But nobody quite knew what to expect. After all, a new event was making its debut at the State School Arts Festival. The moment V.G. Harikrishnan started his rendition of Pyar bhare do sharmile nain..., everyone was convinced that Ghazal was here to stay. The student from GVHSS, Atholi (Kozhikode), was applauded loudly for his rendering of the timeless ghazal sung originally by Mehdi Hassan.
Join influential discussions at The Hindu Lit for Life festival in Chennai on January 17-18, 2024.
For the last few weeks, several wards in Madurai city have been getting piped drinking water through a new drinking water scheme. The sweetness of the generously supplied water has led to loss of business to several suppliers of canned drinking water in the city. But, not many know that the water supplied to the houses in Madurai is directly drawn from Lower Dam of Mullaperiyar Dam in Idukki district of Kerala.
A 20-acre farm on the St Xavier’s College campus at Thumba run by State Award-winning farmer S.V. Sujith had visitors from the Iowa State University, U.S., on Tuesday.
NGT issues notices to U.P., M.P., and Rajasthan over sewage contamination in drinking water, citing serious health risks.
Last-minute Pongal shoppers crowd Tiruchi's markets, boosting sales for traders amid rising prices for fruits and festive items.
Confusing coalitions and absent accountability raise voter concerns as Mumbai's civic elections approach amidst air quality neglect.