Trade unions of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, except the one affiliated to the ruling AIADMK, announced a bus strike across the State on Sunday after failure of talks held with the government at Pallavan House, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation in Chennai over pending wages and PF. Several rounds of talks have been held before this between representatives of the unions and Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar over the past few days.
Though the announcement is to begin the strike from May 15, 2017 (Monday), sections of the transport employees in places like Madurai, Dindigul and Cuddalore have already begun the strike.
Heavy police presence at Pallavan House, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation in Chennai on Sunday.
Updates:
Commuters were left stranded in various parts of Tamil Nadu on Sunday evening as crew members belonging to transport corporation unions affiliated to opposition parties went on a strike ahead of the originally announced date (Monday, May 15) after talks over wage revision and other demands failed. Only members of the ruling party’s Anna Thozhirsanga Peravai continued to operate bus services.
8.10 p.m: Arumugam, a bus conductor, taken into custody at Karamadai in Coimbatore District for hurling a stone at a TNSTC bus from Tirupur to Kotagiri
7.45 p.m: Government buses plying as usual in Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga districts
7.33 p.m: Police say 30% buses off the road in Madurai.
Passengers scramble to get into a private bus at the Mattuthavani Intergrated Bus Stand in Madurai on Sunday.
Situation is normal in Tirunelveli. TNSTC buses are plying as usual.
7.30 p.m.: Bus strike hits tourists in the Nilgiris and Yercaud, reports Soundariya Preetha. However, situation seems normal in Thoothukkudi and Tirunelveli as bus services are not affected, according to our correspondent.
7 p.m.: In Kancheepuram, commuters are surprised by the poster war between the pro- and anti-strike groups. While the AIADMK-backed Anna Trade Union’s posters maintain that all is well, other unionists have pasted otherwise announcing a strike from May 15. Their posters, some pasted on top of the ones by the rival group, say private bus services too have extended their support to the strike call.
Pro- and anti-strike posters put up by Tamil Nadu State transport employees in Kancheepuram on Sunday.
6.45 p.m.: In Chennai, while buses are being operated on their regular routes in the city. However, fewer buses are plying from the Adyar and Tiruvanmiyur depots to the southern suburbs, T. Madhavan reports.
6.30 p.m.: Strike begins in Kanyakumari and Tirupur. Buses have been driven to depots in Kanyakumari, reports R. Arivanantham. In Tirupur, only 50 buses have stopped services as the strike is still yet to pick up, reports Vimal Kumar.
6.15 p.m:
Buses halt at Gandhipuram bus stand in Coimbatore
Inter-district buses are parked at the Gandhipuram bus stand in Coimbatore on Sunday. Opposition trade unions have announced an indefinite bus strike from Monday.
6.10 p.m.: The Southern railway has announced special trains on May 15, 2017 in view of the strike.
The railways have also announced special suburban trains for Chennai.
6 p.m.: In Virudhunagar, more than 50 bus services have been across the district by Sunday evening, Sundar Subbaiah reports quoting a police source. Private buses come to the passengers' rescue.
5.50 p.m.: Strike begins in Cuddalore, transport workers park buses on the road.
5.40 p.m.: Strike begins in Dindigul, TNSTC workers drive buses back to depots from Sunday evening, K. Raju reports.
The scene at Central bus stand in Dindigul on Sunday after strike announcement by bus staff unions.
5.30 p.m.: Passenger beaten up by TNSTC crew member for questioning the later when he prevented a driver from operating a bus in Madurai, Sundar Subbaiah reports. S. Mohammed Yasser Arafat, the passenger, claims that he was beaten up by two striking TNSTC staff at the Mattuthavani integrated bus stand while he boarded a bus to Tiruchendur.
After he questioned the two against preventing the driver from moving the bus, he tells this correspondent.
Stranded passengers at the Pudukkottai bus stand after opposition trade unions announced bus strike on Sunday. Photo: Special Arrangement
