Inter-district bus and passenger train services will resume in Tamil Nadu from September 7, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced on Wednesday. Government and private buses can ply by adhering to the standard operating procedure.
The government’s decision follows representations from the public for the resumption of services to facilitate business and work-related travel to other districts.
Unlock 4 | Fresh norms for those entering T.N.
While welcoming the decision, private bus operators, however, indicated that they would not be in a position to resume services until buses were allowed to operate at full capacity.
The Federation of Bus Operators’ Associations of Tamil Nadu contended that the restrictions on occupancy would be economically unviable, given the operational costs and overheads.
“We urge the Chief Minister to allow us to operate at full seating capacity. Only then will we be willing to resume services even if standees are disallowed,” federation secretary D.R. Dharmaraj said. He claimed that full occupancy was allowed in States such as Kerala, Rajasthan and Karnataka.
Unlock 4 | Bus services resume within districts across Tamil Nadu
Meanwhile, on day two of the resumption of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus services in Chennai, there were concerns about COVID-19 safety protocols being compromised on some routes.
Safety concerns
For instance, on a bus plying on route number 71 between Tirunindravur and Broadway, all seats were occupied, violating the 50% occupancy (24 seats) limit. Many passengers were seen standing in close proximity to each other. “Most of them were office-goers. Such packed buses are unsafe for travel during the pandemic. The MTC should run more buses,” said K. Murugesan, an elderly commuter at the Lucas bus stop.
An MTC conductor said some commuters got agitated when they were not allowed to board a bus. “Some even go to the extent of damaging the vehicle,” he said, adding, “It would be helpful if police personnel are posted at important bus stops during peak hours to regulate the crowd.”
K. Natarajan, treasurer, Labour Progressive Federation, said, “The safety of the bus crew and passengers is more important than revenue.”
“Only one or two buses were crowded. We will increase the number of buses depending on passenger traffic. We have instructed the crew to drive to the nearest police station if commuters forcibly enter the vehicle and flout personal distancing norms,” an MTC official said.
