The paucity of space at the Central Bus Stand in Tiruchi was exposed during the Pongal festival when the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation operated additional buses because of the sudden increase in the number of passengers.
Police personnel atop a watch tower had to work in three shifts, alerting the members of the public bound for Thanjavur, and Pudukottai towns to go to the temporary bus stand. The tower enabled them to regulate traffic. A number of make-shift barricades were arranged in different rows and columns, indicating the meticulous method adopted for maximum utilisation of the space on the Junction Road in the bus stand area.
The responsibility of police had increased as they had to take extra care in the wake of the closure of the bridge near the junction for setting up the girders.
“We operate 400 buses during this festival, including 300 buses to benefit Chennai-bound passengers,” says TNSTC official source. The corporation authorities had to ascertain the availability of space at the bus stand before preparing the chart for special buses from the depots.
Prisoners in the Central Prison here were served with a mosaic of special food in addition to the regular menu on the Pongal day.
The list of lip-smacking items served were sweet pongal, ‘ven’ pongal, ‘vada’, ‘semiya’ paayasam, and laddu. The items were split and served during breakfast and lunch on the festival day to every inmate.
Sugarcane was given to each prisoner as part of the special menu on the festival day.
The Tiruchi Prison accommodates 1,300 prisoners – convicts, remand prisoners, and undertrials.
The special menu was prepared by prisoners and the laddus brought from the prison bazaar operated and manned by the inmates.
