The residents of Melur near Srirangam are upset with the limited frequency of bus services from the locality to other parts of Tiruchi.
Till a few years ago, Melur was a typical village with a population of about 5,000. The face of Melur had started slowly changing since it was merged with the Tiruchi Corporation.
Moreover, the rapid increase in apartments along the roads between Srirangam and Melur has also significantly changed the outlook of Melur. But, there is no improvement in the frequency of bus services for so long.
As per the existing arrangement, the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) operates two buses to Melur. While a bus is operated from Central bus stand in Tiruchi to Melur, another bus plies between Edamalaipatti Pudur and Melur. The TNSTC operates buses mainly during the peak hours. In the absence of sufficient frequencies, mini-buses that ply between Srirangam and Anakarai cash in on the heavy demand.
Besides passengers from Melur, the residents of Neduntheru, Vadakku Vasal, Moolathoppu and Malaiyappa Nagar in Srirangam also depend upon the public transport for commuting.
The number of commuters is increased rapidly since the apartment culture was introduced in Srirangam about 25 years ago. Most of the apartments are located along the Srirangam-Melur road. Though several of the apartment dwellers have cars and two-wheelers, a section of them depends upon public transport.
“City buses from Melur are always crowded due to insufficient frequencies. There is a strong need to increase the frequencies to cater to the need of office-goers, school and college going students, traders and others,” says ‘Madappalli’ K.R. Balaji, a resident of Srirangam.
Pointing out the growing popularity of Butterfly Park, which is situated about 6 km from Srirangam, residents said that there was no bus facility to the park. No buses were operated beyond Melur. In the absence of bus connectivity, the week-enders, who wanted to visit the Butterfly Park, were forced to hire autorikshaw from Melur.
The Butterfly Park has become a popular picnic destination in Tiruchi city. It receives tourists from other parts of the State. It was high time bus facility was extended up to the park, Mr. Balaji added.
