Confusion over Pongal special buses next Sunday

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TIMES NEWS NETWORK

10.01.2022

Chennai: With no clarity yet on whether there will be a lockdown next Sunday (January 16), those who had booked tickets in Pongal special buses for return journey to Chennai have started to either cancel or reschedule their trips.

The TNSTC had announced that over 2,300 buses would be operated next Sunday from different parts of the state to Chennai and began online ticket booking three weeks ago on government website http:// www. tnstc. in/ as well as through private sites like RedBus, PayTM, and Abhibus. Over 25 per cent of the seats were reserved by last Thursday, according to official data. It was against this background that the state government announced that January 9 (Sunday) will be a complete lockdown. No government bus was allowed to ferry passengers on Sunday.

"We have put the online ticket reservation on hold as none knows whether there will be a lockdown next Sunday," said a senior transport official, seeking anonymity. Those who had planned to return to Chennai next Sunday in private buses are also in a fix. “The government has to announce its decision soon, not wait till Thursday evening again,” said D Deepak, who cancelled his January 16 ticket from Nagercoil to Chennai in a private A/C sleeper bus. "We had booked tickets in advance to avoid crowd and last minute confusion. It, however, looks like our return trips are going to be chaotic," he added.

Meanwhile, the Southern Railway, which has not cancelled any of its express trains, is expected to operate all long-distance trains to Chennai as per schedule. In Pongal special trains, only tatkal tickets are available .