The strike by the crew of the State Transport Corporation in Cuddalore and Villupuram districts on Monday put all sections of the society, particularly the patients, student community and the office-goers, to great hardships.
Though the officials and the police had made elaborate arrangements for the running of the regular services a majority of the crew abstained from work. As a result, the depots were filled with buses.
However, a section of the crew, mostly owing allegiance to the Anna Thorzhir Sangam, ran skeleton services on the trunk routes with police protection. The police further intensified patrolling on the arterial roads.
The services to the rural areas and interior places were few and far between, and in certain places, almost nil.
Only those stranded in the bus stand were keen on resuming their journey. The intermittent rain too had hampered the commutation of passengers.
Since many had rescheduled their journey even the minimal bus services were run with sparse number of passengers. Rural Industries Minister P.Mohan, accompanied by Villupuram District Collector V. Sampath, went to the major bus stands and depots in the district and assured the passengers of safe journey.
The Minister warned of stringent action against the miscreants who might cause damage to buses.
Buses stonedThe windscreens of at least 15 buses in both the districts were damaged in stone-pelting incidents that took place at Chidambaram, Kadampuliyur, Cuddalore Old Town area, Villupuram town, Malaiyanur and Villupuram bye-pass.
The police have detained scores of transport corporation employees who staged a demonstration seeking speedy agreement on wage revision, were detained by the police.
