The State Transport Department will operate more than 14,500 special buses between Chennai and other districts in the State in order to help people get home to celebrate Deepavali.
Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar, speaking to press persons after conducting a meeting with senior transport officials including Principal Secretary Dharmendra Pratap Yadav and Transport Commissioner S. Jawahar at the Secretariat on Tuesday, said a total of 9,510 buses including special buses would be operated from the city to various parts of the State. Similarly 5,247 special buses to various important destinations within the State would be operated for three days.
The special buses from Chennai will be operated from November 11 to 13 at five bus termini. The Metropolitan Transport Corporation will operate special link buses from the Dr. MGR bus terminus in Koyambedu to the four bus termini from where the special buses would be operated.
The Transport Department has also made arrangements to operate 16,026 buses for people to return to Chennai and other places within the State for four days. In a press release, the Transport Department said it would be operating 11,416 buses (including 3,416 special buses) for the benefit of commuters arriving from various parts of the State and destined to Chennai and 4,610 special buses to be operated between important destinations.
The special buses would be operated according to segregated routes from the four termini including Madhavaram (bound for Uthukottai via Red Hills, Ponneri and Gummidipoondi), K.K. Nagar (Puducherry via ECR), Tambaram MEPZ (Tindivanam, Vikravandi, Panruti, and Kumbakonam), Poonamallee (Kancheepuram, Vellore, Arani, Arcot, Thirupathur, and Dharmapuri), and Koyambedu (Nagapattinam, Velankanni, Tiruchi, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Salem, and Coimbatore). Special buses would also be operated from the bus terminus located near Tambaram railway station.
The Transport Department has opened 13 special advance booking counters in Koyambedu, Tambaram MEPZ and Poonamallee. Also, a round-the-clock control room for helping passengers in Koyambedu and mobile numbers for complaint, 9445014450 and 9445014436, have been set up.
