Chennai, To ease the festival rush, the TNSTC will operate additional special buses and run services from decentralised temporary terminals for those heading home for Ayudha Pooja and Deepavali.
He said that, based on lessons from earlier holiday rushes, the government had set up auxiliary temporary termini alongside the newly operational Kilambakkam bus terminus to decongest traffic and streamline passenger movement. Kilambakkam will continue to be the main hub for buses to Puducherry, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Trichy, Madurai, Thoothukudi, Sengottai, Tirunelveli, Salem and Coimbatore, the minister said. A temporary bus stand at Maraimalai Nagar has been set up to handle southbound services to Kumbakonam, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam, he said. “Koyambedu will continue regular services, supplemented by routes towards ECR, Kanchipuram, Vellore, Bengaluru and Tiruttani, while Madhavaram will handle services towards Andhra Pradesh via Ponneri and Uthukottai,” he said. The minister said the state government had requested unreserved special train services from Southern Railway to major destinations such as Madurai, Thanjavur and Kumbakonam, to give commuters an affordable alternative.
Addressing reporters after a high-level review meeting with police and transport officials, Minister for Transport A Vijay Tamilan Parthiban on Tuesday outlined the plan to manage crowds and ease congestion in Chennai.
Responding to complaints about high fares charged by private omnibuses during the festive season, the minister said special RTO inspection teams were monitoring operations. Operators found overcharging passengers would face strict action, including heavy fines and seizure of vehicles, he said.
