Sri Vijaya Puram, August 27: The Hindu Rashtra Shakti has urged the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to allow women to travel free of charge on government-operated buses, ferries and passenger boats on August 28, 2026, citing the expected movement of women visiting their brothers and families for Raksha Bandhan.
Rakeshwar Lall, State President of Hindu Rashtra Shakti, submitted the request on behalf of the organisation, seeking a ticket-free travel facility across government transport services on the festival day.
Raksha Bandhan, which celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters, will be observed on August 28. The organisation said free public transport could facilitate travel for women and sisters travelling to meet their brothers and families across the islands.
In its representation, the organisation referred to similar arrangements announced by governments in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Bihar as examples of measures taken to facilitate women’s travel during the festival.
The Uttar Pradesh government has announced free travel for women on state-run buses from 6 am on August 27 until midnight on August 29, 2026. Under that arrangement, each woman passenger can also travel with one companion without paying a fare.
Haryana has announced 36 hours of free travel for women and children aged up to 15 years on state roadways buses. The facility will begin at noon on August 27 and continue until midnight on August 29, 2026.
The Bihar State Road Transport Corporation has also arranged free bus travel for women on its buses from 6 am on August 27 until 10 pm on August 28, 2026.
Hindu Rashtra Shakti cited these measures while requesting the Administration to consider a similar facility for women in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The organisation said such an arrangement would support women travelling during Raksha Bandhan.
The request specifically covers government-operated transport services, including buses and ferry or passenger boats. The proposal seeks free travel without tickets for women on August 28.
The organisation said the examples from the three states showed that such travel arrangements could be implemented during the festival and urged the Administration to consider extending a comparable facility in the islands.
The representation was submitted by Lall on behalf of the Hindu Rashtra Shakti team of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which expressed hope that the Administration would accept the request.
