With the State easing lockdown norms, operation of additional buses for the government staff began on Monday.
Around 50 Tirunelveli Collectorate staff and the staff of the Department of Public Health were waiting for the special buses at Thoothukudi old bus-stand.
The buses dropped the staff at Vallanaadu, Vasavappapuram and the Tirunelveli District Court, Samadhanapuram, Palayamkottai bus-stand and at Vaeinthaankulam new bus-stand.
₹50 was being collected as fare in the Thoothukudi–Tirunelveli point-to-point bus service, ₹35 in the limited stop service and ₹45 in the special bus.
Similarly, special buses were operated from Radhapuram, Papanasam, Tenkasi and Sankarankovil to the Tirunelveli Collectorate. Since, no bus was operated to Tirunelveli from Nagercoil and Tiruchendur, the government employees travelling in these routes had to look for other modes of transport to reach their offices.
Commuters were seated in such a way as to ensure physical distancing though the norm went for a toss while they boarded the buses at respective points.
As the Department of School Education has decided to conduct the SSLC examination from June 1, heads of most of the government and the government-aided schools have informally instructed their teachers to be ready to report for duty on May 21. Since more than 250 teachers would have to travel between Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari districts, special buses should be operated for the teachers also, the teachers feel.
