MTC strike kicks in early, cripples commute

Senior citizens, differently-abled and visitors from other districts worst affected

December 29, 2014 01:48 am | Updated November 16, 2021 04:48 pm IST - CHENNAI:

With most of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s fleet going off the roads due to a transport unions-backed strike, residents were left stranded on the last Sunday of the year.

People were taken by surprise as the strike was originally planned to start on Monday. “I left my home in Sowmya Nagar to visit a relative’s house in T. Nagar and only after reaching Velachery Main Road did I realise the strike had been advanced,” said R. Vidya, a resident of Perumbakkam.

Senior citizens, differently-abled and visitors from other districts were the worst affected. Share autorickshaws made multiple trips through the day, while regular autos made the most in the absence of MTC services, and charged more than twice the stipulated fare.

A couple from Uttar Pradesh, touring the city, had reached Egmore railway station on Sunday morning and were asked by an autorickshaw driver to fork out Rs. 300 for a ride to Central station. After the couple protested, the driver settled for a fare of Rs. 150. At Tambaram, a section of striking MTC crew deflated the tyres of a bus on the 5A route that had just picked up passengers at the stop outside the railway station.

Chellamal, a resident of Velachery who works as domestic help in T. Nagar, was forced to spend a large amount to reach her second place of work by autorickshaw. She took a circuitous route to return home through suburban and MRTS services, but paid less, she said.

Several hundred young men from all over the State had come to Chennai on Saturday night and early on Sunday for writing selection tests conducted by the department of posts. The return journey to their hometowns was an ordeal. “I do not know if I will be able to get a seat on any of the trains from Central,” said V. Ashok of Dharmapuri.

Commuters spent more than three hours in near-empty bus terminuses in the hope that the strike would be called off and services would resume. S. Jamunabai, a resident of Otteri who was stranded at Perungalathur bus stop, said: “I have been waiting here for almost two hours. There is no one to provide information.”

While Southern Railway officials were unable to furnish exact figures, they said sales of tickets on the suburban routes witnessed a jump by more than 10 per cent compared to other Sundays.

(Reporting by Ramya Kannan, K. Manikandan and T. Madhavan)

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