Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s assurance during the last Deepavali season that the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation would effectively handle the holiday rush had produced the desired results, officials said.
The TNSTC, Madurai division, earned higher collection during the last four days, plying more buses during the Pongal holidays than the previous year. According to senior officials, the collection from January 12 to 15 increased by Rs.1.20 crore.
The Madurai Division comprises Madurai, Dindigul and Virudhunagar districts, with 1,096 buses operated in Madurai, 889 in Dindigul and 466 in Virudhunagar. TNSTC General Manager P. Chandrasekaran told The Hindu that a better vehicle utilisation plan and manpower availability enabled them to achieve the higher income.
“We ensured operation of maximum number of spare buses to accommodate more passengers and cover additional destinations from Madurai to Chennai, Tirupur, Coimbatore, and Erode, among other towns,” he added. A record fare collection of Rs.2.87 crore on January 13 alone was achieved, as against Rs.2.19 crore last year.
Similarly, the collection on January 12 was Rs.2.65 crore, against Rs.1.55 crore last year. The collection on January 14 was Rs.2.35 crore (Rs.2.74 crore last year) and on January 15 it was Rs.2.11 crore (last year Rs.2.32 crore).
Officials said passengers who had planned their return trips after Pongal on January 20 benefited from the service.
Adequate buses had also been arranged for devotees on padayatra to Palani to return to their destinations, Mr. Chandrasekaran said. Buses are being operated to places such as Kumuli for the convenience of Ayyappa devotees as well.