Incomplete road work, rains make commute to Ajanta caves hard

Incomplete widening work of Aurangabad-Jalgaon highway and intense spells of rainfall in the region has turned the commute between the two cities and the world-famous Ajanta caves a nightmare.

According to a tour operator, it took nearly eight hours for a Japanese tourist couple to return to Aurangabad from the Ajanta caves- a distance of about 100 kms- on Saturday.

The work of widening Aurangabad-Sillod-Jalgaon highway still remains incomplete. Since the route is dug-up, it is slowing down the vehicles and leading to traffic snarls. Heavy downpour, especially in the last two days, has worsened the condition.

This has prompted the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to ply its buses only till Sillod (in Aurangabad district) instead of Jalgaon.

"From Saturday, our buses are running only till Sillod. We are now checking alternative routes, which we can use to reach Jalgaon," an official from Aurangabad bus stand said.

Talking to PTI, tour operator and head of Aurangabad Tourism development Foundation, Jaswant Singh, said, "Due to the pathetic condition of roads, the time-table of tourists visiting Ajanta caves is also getting affected."