To ensure that they are in time to celebrate Deepavali, people from various parts of Tamil Nadu rushed to the bus stands in the city and also the railway station to find accommodation in buses and trains that take them to their home town.
People could be seen in hundreds at the Gandhipuram, Ukkadam, Singanallur and Mettupalayam Road bus stands. Sources said that the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation operated over 400 buses to clear the additional rush of commuters.
It operated a bus every five minutes to Tiruchi and Madurai. But it appeared to be insufficient to clear the rush of passengers, who could be seen fighting for leg space to get a foothold. Likewise, the Corporation also operated buses from Tirupur to Theni, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Kanyakumari and other places in the south of the State.
Though the Corporation offered booking facilities in buses for destinations that were more than 150 km away, passengers had availed of the facility more than a month ago. Many commuters could be seen complaining about lack of seats in long-distance buses. Private operators also reported full occupancy in buses, especially those with Chennai as destination. The scene at the Coimbatore Railway Junction was no different as commuters without reserve tickets jostled for space in open compartments.
The police had a tough time regulating the crowd.
