Commuters heave a sigh of relief as stalemate ends

MTC claims nearly 2,000 buses, including private vehicles, plied on Thursday

Towards a settlement: Labour Progressive Federation secretary M. Shanmugam, third from left, on his way to address striking employees near Pallavan House in Chennai.

Commuters in the city heaved a sigh of relief when the strike by transport employee unions was withdrawn on Thursday night. After eight successive days of intense difficulty in commuting as buses were off the road, residents hoped that normal life would resume on Friday. For many, the conclusion of the strike before the Pongal weekend was an added source of relief.

Both striking workers and residents expressed happiness. However, some like Palani, a driver affiliated to the CITU, rued the loss of wages during the period of the strike. On the other hand, R. Kumaravel, a resident of Madipakkam, saw privatisation of services as a way forward.

Earlier, on Thursday, people from all walks of life, particularly office-goers and students, faced severe difficulties, especially during peak hours. While the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) claimed they tried to run as many services as possible, regular commuters said these buses were being run as per the whims of the crew and were not on schedule. There were no time-keepers keeping tabs on the operation of the buses either, they said.

Many commuters expressed frustration at both the government and the trade unions.

A senior MTC official said around 57% of its fleet of 3,200 buses was operated on Thursday. He said 1,947 buses and 150 private buses were operated in the city.

Leslie, a resident of Velachery, said it took him a long time to get to his office in Anna Nagar because of the poor frequency of buses.

Show of solidarity

On Thursday, The Tamilnadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC) staged an agitation expressing its solidarity with the striking transport employees. Over 100 people participated. S. Namburajan, secretary, TARATDAC, noted that during the strike, the disabled suffered particularly as conductors working on a temporary basis refused to accept concession passes allotted to them and forced them to buy tickets.

The students of the University of Madras and the All Tamil Nadu Students’ Association also expressed their solidarity with the workers earlier in the day.