ASTC rescues thousands

As the Coronavirus panic spread, the public transport also simply vanished leaving the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) to pull through a superlative effort working round the clock in the last 72 hours assisting thousands of air and railway passengers.

The last train from outside  Assam carrying roughly 1100 patients is arriving at Guwahati station at 2000 as it is several hours late.

The ASTC Managing Director  A P Tiwari informed that 20-25 busses would be parked at the railway station which will take the passengers to the ISBT and from there the long-distance busses will go to respective destinations around Assam and Shillong, with special permission as lockdown will by then start.

The ASTC has given more than 500 buses covering various airports and railway stations have provided transport to people who came from outside on  March 22,23 and 24 to avoid public  inconveniences and disorder at airport and railway station

"We have received total no of 20 trains and approx 160 flights till the time and approximately 16000 people through the air and 12000 people through rail arrived and assisted from various airports and railway stations of the state " he said.

These people were provided transport for Barak Valley, Agartala, Shillong, Karbi Anglong, besides all corner of the Brahmaputra valley.

At each railway station and at each airport passengers were received after proper medical check and other due formalities, after medical checkup they were sent to their respective places

The ASTC has provided these services at Kokrajhar ,Bongaigaon , Barpeta road , Nalbari , Rangia , Lumding , Jorhat , Nazira , Mariaani, Sonari , Dibrugharh and Tinsukia rail station . Similarly at each station ofnorthern Assam, the busses were arranged, he said.

Despite knowing that trains are coming from Maharastra, Karnataka, Kerala and Delhi etc they took all the care and precautions and did their duty with high moral.