The state transport department arranged additional bus services to Digha from Thursday on occasion of the Rath Yatra.
The North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) has arranged 15 buses to the south Bengal coastal town where celebrations would be held on a grand scale for the first time this year after the establishment of the Jagannath Dham.
Some private transporters have also introduced buses from Behrampore to Digha, said sources.
“From 5am today (Thursday), we are running additional buses between Calcutta to Digha. The usual AC Volvo services which were introduced from different locations of north Bengal to Digha (via Calcutta) will also run during these days,” said Partha Pratim Roy, the chairman of the NBSTC headquartered in Cooch Behar.
Sources said that from Thursday till June 28, 11 NBSTC buses will run between Calcutta and Digha. These include non-AC, AC and Volvo services, with the prices of tickets between ₹155 and ₹400.
“There is a steady demand for tickets. Along with Calcutta, people are buying bus tickets for Digha from Siliguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Raiganj. Almost all the seats have been booked during the next three days for Digha,” Roy added.
A source in NBSTC said that for the AC Volvo services to Digha from north Bengal, launched last month by chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Siliguri, the NBSTC is offering a discount.
For example, the one-way fare from Raiganj to Digha in a Volvo is ₹1,380 but ₹1,070 is charged now.
“This will continue for some weeks to increase the popularity of the service. Initially, most passengers were availing the service to reach Calcutta. Over the past few days, demand for tickets to Digha has increased,” the source added.
From Siliguri, the one-way fare to Calcutta in the Volvo is ₹1,060, while a trip till Digha costs ₹1,360.
From Behrampore, the NBSTC introduced four buses to Digha from Thursday. “There is a huge demand for tickets as people find it convenient to reach Digha directly by bus instead of having to break their journey in different modes of transport,” said a board member of the NBSTC.
The demand for more buses to Digha on the occasion of Rath Yatra has prompted the regional transport authority of Murshidabad to issue permits for two private AC buses between Behrampore and Digha.
“From now on, these private buses will run every day, even after the Rath Yatra,” said an official of the transport department.
The NBSTC has issued an alert in all its depots across the state to ensure that passengers get all necessary amenities during their travel, the NBSTC chairman said.