Amid KSRTC's 'good buses only' move for Gavi tourism, another vehicle gets stranded in forest

YET another KSRTC bus got stranded inside the dense forest region of Gavi, even as the KSRTC authorities are implementing a new system to ensure that only good buses are deployed for the Budget Tourism Cell (BTC) trips to the famous eco-tourist spot in the Pathanamthitta district.

- Krishna Kumar K E @Kochi

The latest instance of a KSRTC bus developing a technical glitch inside a forest area happened on Friday. An ordinary bus from Pathanamthitta proceeding to Kumily via Gavi broke down near the Moozhiyar Valve House around 9.30am. Around 35 passengers had a harrowing two hours inside the dense forest filled with wild animals.

"The gear system of the ordinary bus, which starts from Pathanamthitta daily at 6.30am, got jammed. Fortunately, a BTC bus en route to Gavi came along the route a little later and the driver of the second bus was a mechanic as well. He succeeded in fixing the glitch and both the buses resumed their journeys," a senior KSRTC official told TNIE.

Besides the presence of wild animals including elephants and tigers, a big issue travellers on the Gavi route face is the absence of mobile network towers.