Farmers’ agitation hits traffic movement on Amritsar-Delhi route

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, February 14

A large number of buses run by operators and trucks of private goods carriers are finding it extremely tough to gain entry into Delhi. Their owners say they had to shift to alternate routes to reach their destinations. This has hiked their expenses incurred on fuel and staff. More and more commuters are preferring to travel by trains.

Anantdeep Singh, a goods transporter, said the movement of their trucks was restricted before gaining entry into Delhi yesterday. He said the situation remained the same today.

He said, “All entry points to Delhi are blocked. Most trucks originating from Amritsar enter Delhi from Murthal and Kundli. Now, drivers are exploring alternative routes via the KMP road heading towards Noida and others to enter the National Capital. This has increased cost incurred on plying trucks as we have to pay more at toll plazas. Besides, more fuel is consumed while driving on longer routes to reach our destination.”

He said transportation cost would likely go up. He said in case the situation remained same, the cargo tariff might witness a spike between 20 and 25 per cent in the coming days.

Apart from trains and air services, at least 40 buses of private transporters ply on the busy Amritsar-Delhi route. A passenger pays between Rs 700 and Rs 900 for travelling on these buses on normal days. The fare for going to Delhi from the holy city could go up from Rs 1,100 to Rs 1,200 on the weekend, when the rush of passengers is quite high. At least 25 private buses are parked outside the railway station and 15 at the City Centre opposite the Inter-state Bus Terminus (ISBT). Most of these buses depart from the city at night between 9 pm and 12 pm and reach Delhi in the morning.

Bobby, a private transporter, said after the regular route from Rajpura via Ambala was blocked, their buses shifted to Nawanshahr to Chandigarh route to reach Delhi. He did not rule out a hike in fare for going to Delhi in the coming days.

Tour and taxi operators said they would charge Rs 15 per km above their fixed rate for covering the extra distance to reach the National Capital Region (NCR). Raju Dhaliwal, a tour and taxi operator, said at present, charges for five-seater taxi were Rs 10,000 for up and down travel between Amritsar and Delhi and Rs 16,000 for seven-seater vehicle.

Railway officials said all trains plying between Amritsar and Delhi route recorded hundred per cent booking. They said with the spread of road blockade, more passengers would shift from vehicles to trains. They said people had a tendency to cut their unnecessary travel plans as well.