More than 2,000 cadres of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Congress, Communist Party of India and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam were removed as they staged protests in Coimbatore City and Rural police limits on Monday against the bus fare hike.
Coimbatore City Police sources said that they removed over 1,150 cadre from DMK and other parties from at 27 places. The Coimbatore Rural Police removed nearly 2,500 cadre from 48 protest venues.
Singanallur MLA and Coimbatore Urban South District in-charge N. Karthik led the protest in Peelamedu. CPI district secretary V.S. Sundaram and MDMK leader Arjun Raj joined him. The City Police removed over 200 persons from the protest venue. In Gandhipuram, former DMK Minister Pongalur N. Palanisamy led the protests. In front of Tamil Nadu Hotel, Coimbatore Urban North District in-charge Muthusamy led the protests. In Ukkadam, Congress district president Mayura Jayakumar led the protests. In Sundarapuram, DMK leader ‘Kurichi’ Prabhakaran led the protests.
In Pollachi, DMK leader Thendral Selvaraj led the protests. Over 500 persons participated in the protests. The DMK held similar protests in Anamalai, Mettupalayam and other pockets in Rural police limits.
Mr. Karthik said the State Government penalising the people with bus fare hike for its mismanagement of State Transport Corporations was unacceptable. Daily wage labourers, small vendors and people from below poverty line families were the worst affected as they had to pay almost twice of what they had earlier as fare. This would have a cascading effect on the economy and make goods dearer, he added.
In Tirupur, nearly 3,800 persons belonging to DMK, CPI (M), Congress, DMK and CPI were arrested then they staged road blockade agitations at 46 locations in the district.
The agitators demanded immediate rollback of the enhanced fares which, according to them, were at steep scales causing difficulties to the common man.
Apart from the agitations, the members of Tamil Manila Congress staged an interesting symbolic protest at Anupparpalayam by travelling in a car with a board that such types of vehicles were used by MLAs.
“This was to highlight that elected representatives who take the decision to increase the bus fares have cars to travel but the common man will end up with no other option other than travel by bullock carts if the bus fares go up,” said TMC members.
