With the beginning of four-day Chhath festival, finding confirmed bus and train ticket to Patna has become a herculean task. Even buses leaving the Capital for various destinations have stopped booking due to non-availability of seats and berths. The biggest rush is for Patna and other towns in Bihar where Chhath is celebrated with great fervor.
Though seats are available in some flights, the airfares for Patna bound flights from Ranchi and other cities have skyrocketed. The Indigo flight rate from Ranchi to Patna was Rs 5276, while in Air India the cost was Rs 14,801 and Rs 15,011 for Saturday. An airport official requesting anonymity said, “The flight rates from Ranchi to Patna due to Chhath festivity has gone up. The flight rates will be normal from November 2 and 3. The air ticket from Ranchi to Patna on November 1 in Indigo airlines was Rs 5,276, while on November 2 and 3 the flight ticket is Rs 3917 respectively.”
The airport official claimed that every year in Chhath flight ticket from Ranchi to Patna and other destinations go up. Not only flight tickets, but most of trains for Patna and other locations in Bihar are full with no seats and berths.
Some of the trains which are witnessing huge rush includes Hatia-Purneia Kot express, Ranchi Patna Jan Shatabdi express, Ranchi Bhagalpur, Haita-Gorakhpur Maurya Express, Hatia Patna Islampur express, Ranchi Varanasi express, Ranchi Jainagar express among others.The rush in Bihar trains can be gauged from the fact that passengers are left with no other alternative but to sit on floor and bathrooms to reach Patna and other destinations in Bihar. Om Prakash Rai, who works at private company in Ranchi said, “Four days back I book four ticket in Ranchi Hatia express. At the time of booking it was waiting 250, we were hopeful that in four days the waiting seats will be confirmed but on November 1 too it was showing as 125 waiting. We are left with no other alternative but to travel as there was no availability in buses too.”
There is rush not only in flights and trains, but the bus operators too have hiked the fair for Patna.
A bus ticket from Ranchi to Patna in AC bus available at Rs 500 on normal days was available at Rs 900. Worse, the passengers left with no other alternative are ready to pay Rs 900 too.
Similarly, private car and vans operators too are charging more for going to Patna or other towns in Bihar. On normal days, private car and van operators were to charge Rs 7000 to Rs 8000 for Patna, but on festival season the same car and van operators are charging Rs 12,000 to Rs 15000.