At long last, private operators and Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) began operating services along the East Boulevard Road, much to the relief of residents in localities along the stretch of few kilometres.
This time around, the private operators plied their services out of compulsion following a strict order issued by the District Collector K. Rajamani.
Though some of private operators had obtained permit specifically to ply buses along the EB Road, they had chosen to take the West Boulevard Road that runs parallel, with an eye on revenue generation.
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The declined public patronage for bus services along the EB route was the reason why private operators had chosen the WB Road. The public along the EB Road have been at a loss to understand how the private operators could take such a decision by themselves without the consent of the Regional Transport Office.
This time, the private operators had no choice. After the order was issued by the district administration, the City Corporation and the Transport authorities got into active mode to make the private bus operators fall in line.
Official sources said the TNSTC had to operate 15 services and the private operators 33 services every day, going by the permit records.
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According to traders along the EB Road, the public awareness and patronage will not be instant, and will rise only over a duration of a few weeks. In fact, when the buses were operated along the EB Road several years ago, the Town (Railway) Station also was vibrant. Resumption of services is incidentally expected to increase footfall at the Town Station.
The TNSTC Kumbakonam Ltd., will continue to operate its service along the route, S.Velusamy, Divisonal Manager, Tiruchi City, said. The City Corporation is reportedly looking forward to ensuring that the bus services by private operators also are sustained along the EB Road, in order to bring about equitable urban development.
The public travelling towards the city from the Thanjavur National Highway will henceforth have an option to use the EB road for accessing the NSB Road, the commercial hub. Thereby, the travel time due to circumlocution can be avoided.
More importantly, the traffic congestion in Gandhi Market area could be significantly reduced.
According to official circles, the City Corporation has set its sight on clearing encroachments and ensure that the trucks are parked only in the designated area, to make the EB Road more appealing.