HT Bureau
Diphu, April 24: Passengers found themselves stranded at Diphu Bus Stand on Wednesday, with only a handful of buses in operation while the majority have been requisitioned for election duty.
The 6 – Diphu (ST) Parliamentary Constituency, scheduled for the polls on April 26, has led to increased demand for transportation, particularly among those traveling to their villages to exercise their voting rights.
Among those affected was Sarthe Engleng, accompanied by three companions, who work as daily wagers in a betel leaf plantation in Langmili. They were awaiting transportation to their village, Langbungdingpi, Bakulia, to cast their votes on April 26.
“We work as daily wagers, plucking betel leaves. We are eagerly waiting for transportation to return home and cast our votes,” Sarthe stated.
Additionally, first-time voters Sonali Timungpi and her relative’s daughter, Dipti Das, accompanied by their grandmother, were traveling to their ancestral home in Balok Teron village, Langhin, to participate in the electoral process.
Sonali, a second-year student at Diphu Government Boys HS School, residing in Matipung, expressed her excitement about casting her vote for the first time.
She exclaimed, “As a second-year student at Diphu Government Boys HS School, residing in Matipung, I am thrilled to accompany my grandmother home to cast my vote. This will be my inaugural voting experience.”
Furthermore, Sarthe Kro, an auto-rickshaw driver from Matipung, found himself stranded at the bus stand, eager to return to his ancestral home to participate in the electoral process.
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the situation, auto-rickshaw drivers have escalated fares. Routes such as Diphu to Manja, previously priced at Rs 50, now demand Rs 150, while Diphu to Bakulia costs Rs 300 per person.
A bus driver at Lisha Bus Counter informed that only one bus is scheduled to Bakulia, with several others requisitioned for election duty.
At the Karbi Anglong Bus Association (KABA) bus counter, it was revealed that 20 to 25 buses, servicing routes to Nagaon, Hojai, Doboka, and Lanka, have also been requisitioned for election duty.
