A ‘ghat’ is a mountain pass or a steep incline on the face of a mountain or hillside. In the Indian Railway parlance, a “ghat” section is a line climbing up a hill or escarpment, where the ruling gradient is far higher than the usual norm.
The first two ghat sections built in India were both out of Bombay (now Mumbai) going into the hinterland. Starting at about 32 km from Pune on the single, non-electrified line to Miraj, Shindawane Ghat is around 10 km long and climbs approximately 80 meters into the Bhuleshwar range of the Sahyadri mountains.
MSRTC Bus Snakes Climbs Shindawane Ghats
MSRTC (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation) bus negotiates curves and climbs the Shindawane Ghat / Mountain road.
Source – IndianRailways.
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation abbreviated as, is the state run bus service of Maharashtra, India with around 18515 buses which serves routes to towns and cities within Maharashtra as well as to its adjoining states. It also offers a facility for online booking of tickets for all buses.
The ST started with 30 Bedford buses having wooden bodies, coir seats. The fare charged on the Pune-Nagar route was nine paisa. With time, the S.T. buses underwent many changes, including increasing the seating capacity from the original 30 to 45 to the present 54, introduction of all-steel bodies to replace wooden bodies to make them stronger and cushion seats for more comfort.
Later, in 1960, aluminium bodies were introduced as steel corrodes, especially in coastal areas, and the colour code also changed to red from the blue and silver. A partial night service was launched in 1968; the overnight service about a decade later and the semi-luxury class came into being during the Asian Games in 1982.
The S.T. buses are also used for transportation of the postal mail, distribution of medicines, newspapers and even tiffins sent by people from rural areas to their relatives in cities. They also are used to transport agricultural goods to cities.
