Badlapur to get bus services, more autos

Commuters in Badlapur, who are dependent on trains as a mode of transport, may soon get bus services and extra autorickshaws.

Commuters in Badlapur, who are dependent on trains as a mode of transport, may soon get bus services and extra autorickshaws.

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The demand from local citizens and members of several passengers’ associations for an alternative transport has received a positive response from the regional transport office (RTO), which has asked them to survey the routes where the services are required.

Earlier this month, several residents were stranded after a flood-like situation brought the town to a halt. Train services stopped, leaving residents cut off from Mumbai and nearby cities.

Shabri Naik, 28, a Badlapur resident said she was unable to travel to Kanjurmarg in Mumbai when Mahalaxmi Express halted on July 26 owing to waterlogging on tracks.

“I was unable to go to work for two days,” she said. “In such situations, buses would provide an alternative option for people and also reduce the rush during peak hours on local trains.”

As part of their demands, members of Badlapur City Passengers Association asked the Kalyan RTO to permit six-seater autorickshaws to ply from Badlapur to Kalyan and Navi Mumbai.

“We have met with officials from Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Transport (KDMT) and Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT), and wrote to the state transport (ST) department to run their bus services for the convenience of residents and regular commuters from Ambernath and Badlapur,” said Sudhakar Patangrao, president of Badlapur City Passengers Association.

Residents said alternative transport services were required as Badlapur and Ambernath were seeing an increase in population.

Balasaheb Sawant, a member of the passengers’ association, said, “Ambernath and Badlapur have a population of around 7 lakh. Residents dependent on local train services to commute to work every day.”

“Whenever there are disruptions or cancellations of local train services, commuters face major inconvenience,” said Sawant.

Kalyan RTO officials have assured commuters to permit six-seater autorickshaws and extend ST, KDMT and NMMT bus services to Badlapur soon.

While the number of auto services in Badlapur and Ambernath has doubled to almost 8,000 in the past five years, commuters said it still was not enough for long-distance commutes.

“Association members have demanded NMMT bus services from Vashi to Badlapur as well as ST bus services from Panvel,” said Sanjay Sasane, deputy officer of Kalyan RTO.

“NMMT already has two buses plying between Vashi and Badlapur [in the morning and evening] but residents want more frequency of buses,” said Sasane.

To avail the ST bus services, Kalyan RTO officials have asked the association to write to the transport officials.

Sasane said the RTO has already permitted the plying of autorickshaws between Badlapur and Katai Naka in Kalyan. “We have asked the association members to list the important stops,” he said.

Patangrao said while the autorickshaws might take time to ply on roads, bus services were likely to start in a month.

“Both NMMT and KDMT have assured us that they will run their services for us; we are looking forward to receiving a similar response from the state transport department,” said Patangrao.