Cyclone Arnab costs APSRTC ₹13.10 crore in revenue loss

The Pandit Nehru Bus Station wears a deserted look as the APSRTC has cancelled a few services in view of the cyclone impact, in Vijayawadao on Wednesday.

Cyclone Arnab, which affected parts of Andhra Pradesh from October 27 to 29, caused a revenue loss of ₹13.10 crore to the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC). Bus services covering over 10.73 lakh scheduled kilometres were cancelled due to adverse weather conditions and safety concerns.

The cyclone also damaged four APSRTC vehicles and infrastructure, including compound walls, garage buildings, sheds, canopies and electrical installations at various depots and bus stations.

APSRTC Chief Traffic Manager (Operations) John Sudhakar said services were cancelled in view of heavy rainfall, strong winds and unsafe road conditions. “The cancellations resulted in the loss of more than 10.73 lakh scheduled bus kilometres and an estimated revenue loss of ₹13.10 crore,” he told The Hindu on Tuesday.

A 20-foot-long compound wall collapsed at the Ravulapalem depot, while a 10-foot stretch of the wall at Jaggampeta bus station also collapsed. Walls at Machilipatnam and Maddilapalem depots were damaged. At the Amalapuram garage, roof sheets of the blacksmith section and canteen were damaged. The Schedule-III shed and HSD bunk canopy at the Razole depot also suffered damage.

A lighting tower at the Kakinada depot, the cycle stand roof at Tuni garage and the toilet block rooftop and electrical installations at Bhimavaram depot were damaged. A canopy sheet at Waltair depot and rooftop sheets of the record room and squad room at the District Public Transport Officer’s office in Krishna district were also affected.

The APSRTC is assessing the damage, and the expenditure required for repairs will be determined after the assessment, Mr. Sudhakar said.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy reviewed the preparedness of the APSRTC and Transport Department in view of Cyclone Murusu on Tuesday. He directed officials to suspend services wherever necessary, closely monitor weather and road conditions and deploy dedicated personnel at depots in affected areas. He also asked them to restore services once conditions became safe and keep passengers informed about cancellations, changes in timings and resumption of operations.