KALYAN: Over 900 free buses carrying around 45,000 Ganesh devotees have been operated from the Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency to help people travel to their native villages in Konkan and western Maharashtra for Ganeshotsav.The initiative has been organised by the Shiv Sena under the guidance of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and on the initiative of Kalyan MP Dr Shrikant Shinde.Around 250 buses were operated from Kalyan, 355 from Dombivli, 147 from Diva and another 147 from Kalwa. Additional buses were arranged from Ambernath and Ulhasnagar.The buses ferried devotees to various destinations in Konkan, including Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Raigad, Chiplun, Lanja and Devgad, as well as Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur and other parts of western Maharashtra.The initiative aims to ease pressure on trains, ST buses and private transport during the Ganesh festival, when thousands of people working in Mumbai, Thane and surrounding areas travel to their native places.Organisers said the free bus service has provided relief to around 45,000 devotees and enabled families to celebrate the festival in their villages without worrying about travel expenses and the availability of transport.The initiative has been undertaken for several years, with organisers saying the objective is to ensure that devotees are not prevented from travelling home for Ganeshotsav due to transport-related difficulties.
