An ‘edge of the seat’ ride — this best describes travelling in an MTC bus in north Chennai. From threats at knife-point to student clashes, the commuter faces many a risk.
Due to this, many conductors and drivers are seeking transfers to other parts of the city. According to MTC officials, in the last one year alone, nearly 11 incidents of conductors being threatened by passengers at knife point have been reported to the police. “A group of ten persons get into the bus in broad day light and threaten the conductors using sharp weapons when they are asked to purchase tickets,” says a senior MTC official, citing one instance.
This is common in areas like Royapuram, Tiruvottiyur, Tondiarpet and Mint. “We report to the police every time. Initially, they used to deploy policemen in plain clothes. But that measure has been discontinued now. We are losing a huge chunk of passengers due to this problem,” added the official.
Many residents of north Chennai also complain of women being harassed in the buses. “This is common in Mint bus stand. Many youngsters travel by footboard and tease women in the bus and outside. The policemen remain as mute spectators,” said K.R. Sreedhar, a resident of New Washermanpet.
Some women passengers even lodged a complaint with the MTC headquarters, stating male passengers misbehaved with them in crowded buses. “Policemen should be deployed regularly to tackle such issues or the MTC should form its own security force with the help of the police,” he added.
