Ganeshotsav is Maharashtra's most celebrated and awaited festival. Every year, thousands of people travel to their native villages across the state to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi. However, with the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the movement of people and vehicles has been restricted in the state.
As per reports, many have been demanding that they should be allowed to travel to their native place and a proper transport arrangement to the Konkan region should be made for the festival. Keeping this in mind, and addressing their demands, the state government has decided to offer ST bus services available from August 13 to August 21, 2020, especially for the festival. To ensure safety, the Maharashtra State Road Transport (MSRT) has issued some rules for travellers.
Passengers will have to undergo the COVID-19 test (RT-PCR Swab Test) before the journey as a part of the mandatory procedure, and will only be allowed to travel after they test negative for coronavirus. These results will act as a travelling pass.
Since Monday night, advance reservations have been made available for the ST buses going to Konkan areas. After making the reservation, concerned passengers will not be able to cancel their journey reservation, if they are tested positive for the virus.
For safety precautions, ST buses will be completely sanitized and disinfected. Further, it will be mandatory for all the passengers to wear face masks and maintain social distancing during the entire journey. The buses will only stop at the official places of the corporation during the journey.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra reported 9,181 fresh positive cases on Monday, taking the state-wide virus tally to 5,24,513. With 293 new deaths, the fatality toll has reached 18,050 in the state.
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