People rush home to vote, enjoy long weekend
Shanmughasundaram.J@timesgroup.com
Chennai:18.04.2019
The Chennai Central railway station, recently named after M G Ramachandran, Egmore railway station, Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus and other important transport junctions in the city were on Wednesday choked with passengers who were eager to reach their native places in the state to cast their votes and enjoy the rare, long weekend. The excitement was palpable among the firsttime voters.
Officials of Southern Railway said all south-bound trains were running full in the last two days. The Antyodya Express, from Tambaram to Nagercoil, was packed with people struggling to find space in compartments, a Railways official said.
P Senthil Kumar, 38, of Kandankudi Kadu village in Ariyalur district, said he wass going home with 10 of his friends, who are employed as cab drivers in the city, to exercise their franchise. “We have never missing voting,” said Kumar, who has been working in the city for more than 15 years.
A Arun, a techie residing in Taramani, said, “We had to wait for more than two and half hours for a bus to reach the boarding point at Perungalathur. Though we were given the mobile numbers of the drivers, they stopped taking our calls and we were left in the lurch, not knowing whether to wait or book another bus so that we can reach Madurai at least by 9am or 10am.”
Omni bus drivers said the traffic congestion was so bad that it took at least an hour to leave Koyambedu bus stand.
Meanwhile, private bus operators took advantage of the surge in travellers to Madurai and Coimbatore, charging passengers as high as ₹1,500 per ticket. An official of the state transport department said special teams were formed to take action against private operators collecting exorbitant fares.
Despite the state running special buses, passengers were left waiting in long queues at various boarding points in the city. Few complained that government buses refused to take passengers who were going to intermediate stops like Trichy and Karur. The SETC officials have denied the allegation.
(With inputs from Ram Sundaram and Siddharth Prabhakar)
POLL EVE RUSH: Passengers at Egmore station on Wednesday
Shanmughasundaram.J@timesgroup.com
Chennai:18.04.2019
The Chennai Central railway station, recently named after M G Ramachandran, Egmore railway station, Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus and other important transport junctions in the city were on Wednesday choked with passengers who were eager to reach their native places in the state to cast their votes and enjoy the rare, long weekend. The excitement was palpable among the firsttime voters.
Officials of Southern Railway said all south-bound trains were running full in the last two days. The Antyodya Express, from Tambaram to Nagercoil, was packed with people struggling to find space in compartments, a Railways official said.
P Senthil Kumar, 38, of Kandankudi Kadu village in Ariyalur district, said he wass going home with 10 of his friends, who are employed as cab drivers in the city, to exercise their franchise. “We have never missing voting,” said Kumar, who has been working in the city for more than 15 years.
A Arun, a techie residing in Taramani, said, “We had to wait for more than two and half hours for a bus to reach the boarding point at Perungalathur. Though we were given the mobile numbers of the drivers, they stopped taking our calls and we were left in the lurch, not knowing whether to wait or book another bus so that we can reach Madurai at least by 9am or 10am.”
Omni bus drivers said the traffic congestion was so bad that it took at least an hour to leave Koyambedu bus stand.
Meanwhile, private bus operators took advantage of the surge in travellers to Madurai and Coimbatore, charging passengers as high as ₹1,500 per ticket. An official of the state transport department said special teams were formed to take action against private operators collecting exorbitant fares.
Despite the state running special buses, passengers were left waiting in long queues at various boarding points in the city. Few complained that government buses refused to take passengers who were going to intermediate stops like Trichy and Karur. The SETC officials have denied the allegation.
(With inputs from Ram Sundaram and Siddharth Prabhakar)
POLL EVE RUSH: Passengers at Egmore station on Wednesday
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