May 15 2017
:
The Times of India
(Chennai)
70% buses off roads day before strike
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Chennai:
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
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Trade Unions Begin Prior Arrangements To Observe Bandh
Only about 30% of the buses
in the city plied on Sunday evening as trade unions belonging to the
eight state transport corporations began making prior arrangements to
observe the statewide strike on Monday. Police surrounded the Pallavan
House (headquarters of Metropolitan Transport Corporation) after talks
between transport unions and transport minister M R Vijayabhaskar failed
again on Sunday . The strike has been called by trade unions
affiliated to opposition political parties including DMK, CPI and
CPI(M). Bus drivers and conductors belonging to the ruling AIADMK
backed Anna Thozhirsanga Peravai (ATP) were working on Sunday night.An
ATP member, however, said, “The demands raised are just and common to
all of us.“
The footfalls at the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus in Koyambedu reduced drastically on Sunday . The fleet of State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) buses that travel to other districts reduced by 60-70%, as was the case at city bus depots including the busy T Nagar depot. At CMBT, passengers who boarded bu ses were usually those with prebooked tickets.
R Gunasekaran, who boarded a bus to Trichy with his wife at 8pm, said, “I was aware of the strike announced by the transport unions. I booked my ticket online on Saturday evening itself.“ At T Nagar, passengers were left stranded as several buses were cancelled. Shoppers leaving T Nagar on Sunday evening had to find other modes of transport to get back home. R Vidhya, who was stranded at the T Nagar bus terminus with shopping bags, said, “I have been waiting for more than 30 minutes. The bus to Mogappair has been cancelled.“
Another passenger K Arul had to take a connecting bus as the direct bus had been cancelled. Arul said, “I was not aware that the strike would get underway on Sunday itself. Instead of boarding the M7 bus, I had to take the 5B bus to Mylapore to find a connecting bus from there to Thiruvanmiyur.“
The footfalls at the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus in Koyambedu reduced drastically on Sunday . The fleet of State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) buses that travel to other districts reduced by 60-70%, as was the case at city bus depots including the busy T Nagar depot. At CMBT, passengers who boarded bu ses were usually those with prebooked tickets.
R Gunasekaran, who boarded a bus to Trichy with his wife at 8pm, said, “I was aware of the strike announced by the transport unions. I booked my ticket online on Saturday evening itself.“ At T Nagar, passengers were left stranded as several buses were cancelled. Shoppers leaving T Nagar on Sunday evening had to find other modes of transport to get back home. R Vidhya, who was stranded at the T Nagar bus terminus with shopping bags, said, “I have been waiting for more than 30 minutes. The bus to Mogappair has been cancelled.“
Another passenger K Arul had to take a connecting bus as the direct bus had been cancelled. Arul said, “I was not aware that the strike would get underway on Sunday itself. Instead of boarding the M7 bus, I had to take the 5B bus to Mylapore to find a connecting bus from there to Thiruvanmiyur.“
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