Students block NH-42 at Burakayalakota over APSRTC buses skipping college stops
About 100 students blocked NH-42 at Burakayalakota in Annamayya district, alleging APSRTC buses skip their stop during peak hours.
Traffic on National Highway-42, the busy Anantapur-Tirupati route, was disrupted at Burakayalakota in Mulakalacheruvu mandal of Annamayya district on Tuesday morning after around 100 students blocked the road.
The students, drawn from several educational institutions, commute daily to government and private colleges in Madanapalle, Punganur and B. Kothakota. They alleged that nearly a dozen APSRTC buses were skipping their designated stops in the college zones during the morning and evening peak hours.
A B.Tech student from Madanapalle said many students depend solely on the Burakayalakota stop. When buses do not halt, they miss classes and are forced to spend ₹50 to ₹80 a day on autos, which becomes particularly difficult for women and girls in the evening.
The flash strike on the Mulakalacheruvu-Madanapalle section of the highway left vehicles stranded on both sides. Police from Mulakalacheruvu and APSRTC officials from Madanapalle reached the spot and pacified the students, assuring them that the matter would be taken up with higher officials.