Tamil Nadu - Vellore   

More buses between Pernambut, Ambur sought

VELLORE: The Pernambut Consumer Welfare Protection Council has requested the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) to operate more buses between Pernambut and Ambur. This would help students of Pernambut who are studying in the schools and colleges in Ambur.

The council also pleaded for augmentation of bus services to Pernambut from nearby villages such as Gundalapalli, Sadgar, Erukkambattu, Bathalapalli, Aravatla, Masigam and Madhinapalli to help students studying in Pernambut schools.

In a letter addressed to the Special Commissioner, Department of Transport, and submitted in person to Machendranathan, Transport Commissioner at the consumers’ grievances redressal meeting convened by Rajaraman, Commissioner of Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection in Chennai on Wednesday, T. Basheeruddin, president of the council said that since most of the students happen to be children of labourers, they find it very difficult to reach school and college on time in the absence of adequate public transport services. The council also complained that most of the existing buses did not adhere to the timings.

The students suffered untold hardship in the evenings on account of the lack of bus services.

The council requested the TNSTC, Vellore, to extend the bus operating from Vellore to KGF on route no.87 to Bangalore, and to ensure that the bus on route no.666 from Kancheepuram to Bangalore entered the Pernambut bus stand to pick up passengers.

The council urged the TNSTC to shift its bus depot functioning on the outskirts of Pernambut to its own building in Pernambut town. Since the existing depot was located in a small open place, the bus crew parked the buses on the highway and on all streets in the vicinity, causing hardships to the public.

This led to frequent quarrels between the crew and the public. Because of this, many crew obtained transfers to other places, leading to deficiency of bus services in Pernambut. It wanted the General Manager, TNSTC, Vellore, to redress the grievances.

In a separate letter addressed to the Speical Commissioner, Transport, the council has alleged that private bus owners operating mofussil buses between Pernambut and Ambur and between Gudiyatham and Vellore provide tickets which do not conform to rules. Conductors of some private buses operating in the above routes write something on a 2-cm square printed paper and give it as ‘ticket.’ Such ‘tickets’ are not accepted as proof by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum.

The council’s plea to the private bus owners to issue tickets on the same pattern as issued by the TNSTC or through authorised ticketing machines, have not yielded any result.

The council alleged that some private mofussil bus operators charged a fare of Rs.7.50 for travel from the Pernambut lorry shed to Ambur, which is Re.one more than the authorised fare. The conductors not only speak ill of passengers who question the excess fare but also claim that nobody can do anything with them. It further stated that most of the conductors of private mofussil buses operating from Pernambut to surrounding towns are unlicensed and behaved rudely with the passengers.

Another complaint of the council was that most of the private mofussil buses operating in Vellore district have fixed three-seater seats which do not conform to the standard measurements. They have been designed to accommodate more standing passengers against rules. The smaller seats are uncomfortable to many passengers. Most buses got fitness certificates though they did not have a first aid box or a luggage loft above the seats, the council said.

Autorickshaws operating in Pernambut park the vehicles within the bus stand though they are supposed to park the autos 200 m away from the bus stand. Besides, none of the autos were having meters, and charged exorbitant fare.

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