Alappuzha: Despite being one of the busiest commuter points in the district, the KSRTC bus stand in Alappuzha has been functioning without an Information Centre for months, leaving passengers without reliable travel details.

The bus stand here has been frequented by hundreds of commuters, including foreign tourists, on a daily basis and with the onset of the Sabarimala season, the depot has been experiencing a heavy rush . Passengers, however, are struggling without access to accurate information on buses operating to and from the depot, which is located in the district headquarters.

Earlier, an official in the rank of Inspector used to be deployed at the Information Centre. Later, when posts were reduced in the Corporation, senior officials, staff who are unable to be assigned to bus duty and differently abled employees began to be posted at the `Mike and Enquiry Wing'.

Subsequently, the Station Master was entrusted with the additional responsibility of managing the Information Centre as well. This added duty became a burden for the Station Master, who is already responsible for overseeing all long-distance buses arriving at Alappuzha, as well as those operating from the depot. As a result, providing timely information to passengers became difficult.

Although the Chief Office was informed of the need to deploy a dedicated staff member to manage the Information Centre at the Alappuzha KSRTC depot, no steps have been taken so far. At present, passengers depend on bus conductors and local vendors for information on services. But this information is often inaccurate.

“Passengers are struggling a lot. The operation of the Information Centre must resume immediately at the Alappuzha KSRTC bus stand,” said Baby Parakkadan of the KSRTC Pensioners Organisation.