North Bengal or Puri. Or near back Digha. Bengalis will not travel a little during Puja holidays, how is it? So the planning of the trip is done well in advance. But what if? The train ticket is not confirmed! Necessarily rely on long-distance AC Volvo buses of private companies. But even that bus ticket is beyond the reach of the middle class, even the upper middle class. The rent is increasing at the speed of a rocket as soon as the stick falls on the cover of Puja. According to time, it is also leaving the five thousand mark. And that's why Puja travel is becoming expensive. There is no balance between the effort and ability of our people.
AC first class fare in Darjeeling or Padatik Express is close to two and a half thousand, there is a fare of 5960 rupees on a bus going to North Bengal next Friday night! Other days show slightly less until Monday night. Sometimes three and a half thousand. Sometimes 3200 Same situation with Puri bus. Howrah-Puri Superfast AC first class fare is Tk 2430. There, a Friday night Volvo fare is Rs 4095. That is four times the rent of 3 AC.
According to a statistic, where the fare of AC first class in Darjeeling or Padatik Express is close to two and a half thousand, there is a fare of 5960 rupees on the North Bengal-bound bus of a company next Friday night! Other days show slightly less until Monday night. Sometimes three and a half thousand. Sometimes 3200 But all of them are sleeper seats that means you can sleep. But that is more than twice the AC first class! The eyes are rising in the forehead of the common man. Same situation with Puri bus. Howrah-Puri Superfast AC first class fare is Tk 2430. There, a Friday night Volvo fare is Rs 4095. That is four times the rent of 3 AC.
The highest fares are night service or night buses. It is leaving the limit of five thousand. The organizations say that this will continue for the next month. Because, now the continuous holiday of Puja is almost till Kali Puja. As a result, thousands of people travel from Kolkata every time during this long holiday. Not only Kolkata, but now many districts also leave Puri by bus. The situation is the same. Darjeeling mail fare to North Bengal is Tk 2360 in AC first class. 1415 for second class AC. It's a little more with taxes. A little over a thousand rupees in three ACs.
According to tourists, hotels and cars are all booked with great difficulty. Train ticket also cut. But not confirmed. Due to which people are forced to buy bus tickets by paying three to four times the fare at the last minute. Otherwise, the visit will be cancelled. Digha bus fare is also touching thousands. Where AC chair car tickets are available for only 360 taka. Private bus companies say that since there is a flexi-fare like flights here, fares go up and down according to demand. Demand is high during Puja, so rent is increasing. The government has no control over this.
The highest fares are night service or night buses. It is leaving the limit of five thousand. The organizations say that this will continue for the next month. Because, now the continuous holiday of Puja is almost till Kali Puja. As a result, thousands of people travel from Kolkata every time during this long holiday. Not only Kolkata, but now many districts also leave Puri by bus. The situation is the same. Darjeeling mail fare to North Bengal is Tk 2360 in AC first class. 1415 for second class AC. It's a little more with taxes. A little over a thousand rupees in three ACs. But the same rent is being taken in AC Volvo for 3.50 to 6.000 taka per night. Morning bus fares are comparatively less. But all bus fares are atleast higher than second AC tickets of trains.
Air fares are also high. Airfare is much higher than other times. According to Eastern and South Eastern Railway, a large number of special trains are being run keeping in mind the number of passengers. But even that is not happening. In trains like Darjeeling, Padatik it is difficult to get ticket confirmation in this situation. Rahul Chattopadhyay, general secretary of Sara Bangla Bus-Minibus Coordination Association, said, “It is inappropriate to increase the fare in this way. The government should monitor this immediately. Taking advantage of people's problems, private companies are taking long-distance buses as they please.