CHENNAI: While State transport department officials claimed that more government buses had started plying despite the ongoing strike over wage revision, Chennai had skeletal service with drivers belonging to the AIADMK union going to work.
People continued to enter the Koyambedu bus terminus only to find themselves stranded. They then swarmed the nearby omni bus stand to catch private buses to head to their respective destinations.
The situation was not very different in other parts of the State. About 50-70 per cent of buses were operational at Vellore, Madurai, Thanjavur and Krishnagiri. In Thanjavur, official sources said that 333 of the 500 buses were working by evening. However the strike did not affect Tiruchy as much since private drivers had be coopted. Transport workers belonging to AIADMK-affiliated Anna Thozhil Sangam were seen operating the buses apart from the temporary drivers and conductors.
“In an attempt to protect the welfare of the public and to continue to ply government buses on the road till the strike is called off, the district transport department had called in private drivers, who had heavy vehicle licenses, to take the wheel,” said P Suresh, Regional Transport Officer (RTO), Vellore.
Substitute drivers had another incentive: after working till the strike is called off, they will get certificates using which they can apply for future vacancies in the State government transport department. Also, they will get preference in recruitment.
On Friday, a total of 14 lakh passengers travelled in the three suburban railway lines from Chennai. The Chennai Division of Southern Railway will run all the 670 EMU services on the Suburban sectors on Saturday and Sunday in view of the bus strike instead of the reduced 602 weekend services. The regular services will run despite scheduled maintenance work. The extra rush of passengers is being handled at 254 Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) at various stations in Chennai.
60
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