State transport corporation bus services were paralysed in Tiruchi and its neighbouring districts on Monday causing hardship to travellers due to the indefinite strike called by major trade unions in support of their charter of demands.
Barring some services operated by engaging members of ruling party trade union and casual labour drivers, majority of the transport corporation buses did not move out of the depots for the day in Tiruchi region.
Passengers were left with no option but to take private buses and additional spare omni buses which were operated to different destinations in Tiruchi region encompassing Tiruchi, Perambalur and Ariyalur districts.
While transport union sources said more than 95 % of the government buses were off the roads in the region, officials gave a different picture claiming that 40 % of the government buses were operated in the region.
Although the indefinite strike was to officially commence from Monday, nevertheless it started off from Sunday evening itself with several buses off the roads.
The central bus stand which is usually abuzz with activity presented a different look on Monday. Many travellers safely preferred to put off their journey having come to know about the strike in advance.
However, there were passengers who found it difficult to leave to their respective destination upon landing at Tiruchi from various places.
Suresh Babu, a head constable of Railway Protection Force at Thiruvananthapuram who landed at Tiruchi on Sunday along with his family was one among them. The constable said he had accompanied his wife who was called for an interview in a private college here.
But the family of Suresh Babu were stranded for some time at the bus stand as they could not immediately get a bus to Nagercoil for their onward journey to Thiruvananthapuram.
“We could not get reservation in train and chose to travel by bus. But things appear difficult now,” he said even while making frantic enquiries with conductors of private buses stationed at the bays.
Same was the case with Ms. Visalam, a resident of Tiruvallur near Chennai. The woman along with her family was returning back home after attending a function at Dindigul.
“We managed to come from Dindigul to Tiruchi. But now we are stranded at Tiruchi and awaiting a bus to Chennai for more than an hour”, said Visalam unwilling to spend the charges levied by private bus operators.
Passengers proceeding to moffusil areas from Tiruchi also bore the brunt of non-plying of government buses. Ms. Ananda who was to proceed to Keeranur along with her near ones said she was stranded for more than an hour at the bus stand due to absence of a service. Some North Indians like Sushil from Assam had to keep moving from one end to another looking out for a bus to Tiruppur and making inquiries.
State-run buses also did not ply within the city making the movement on busy thoroughfares sparse. The bus stands at Chathram and Srirangam were fully occupied with fleet of private buses. Several government buses were stationed at the depots in Cantonment and Rockfort here.
A senior TNSTC official told the The Hindu that the corporation had engaged school bus drivers and casual labour drivers to operate government buses in Tiruchi region.
Over 100 private spare buses were roped in to operate to moffusil areas and outside the district in addition to operating a little over 400 government buses in the region on Monday, he said.
However, N. Mani, deputy general secretary of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation Workers Federation affiliated to the AITUC claimed that 98 % of the buses were off the roads in Tiruchi region. A vast majority of transport corporation employees had taken part in the indefinite strike, he further said.
