Maharashtra: Buses to Kolhapur, Konkan cancelled

PUNE: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has cancelled all buses to Kolhapur and the Konkan region due to the heavy rain and flooding.
More than 100 private buses going to Konkan and Goa from various parts of the state have also been cancelled. “All buses to and from Mahad, Ratnagiri, Chiplun, Dapoli, Guhagar and Mandangad in Konkan region have been cancelled,” a senior official of the MSRTC’s Pune division said.
Avinash Bholse, public relations officer of MSRTC, said no buses from any part of the state was going to Konkan and Kolhapur.
An official at the Swargate bus depot said, “The buses to Kolhapur plied till 11am. Traffic to Kolhapur has been stopped after that. No buses came from Kolhapur to Pune either”.
Anand Lohe, a private bus operator whose vehicles ply to Goa via Konkan, said, “On Thursday, 10 buses from various parts of the region left for Pune. But they are yet to reach. Over 100 private buses from different parts of the state ply to the Konkan region and more than 90% have stopped operations. Buses to Goa are not plying. The passengers are getting refund.”
Many commuters said they opted for ticket cancellations. “I was supposed to go to Kolhapur on Friday to attend my parents’ anniversary. But looking at the condition, they told me not to come,” Nishesh Kamath, a working professional in Pune, told TOI.
A Central Railway official said both the southeast and northeast ghat sections did not have landslides on Friday. “All trains are running along both the ghat sections. But train services between Miraj and Kolhapur have been cancelled due to the rise in water levels in the Panchganga ,” a Central Railway official said.
Altogether 13 trains, including Deccan Express and Indrayani Express, originating and passing through the Pune rail division, have been cancelled till July 27. However, Deccan Queen would continue to run.
Te Pune-Ahmadabad Express will not ply on July 24 and July 26 and the Ahmadabad-Pune Express will not run on July 25 and July 27.