CHENNAI: Over 100 commuters staged a road blockade on Thursday early morning (between 1.30 am and 2.30 am) on GST Road opposite Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus (KCBT) in Kilambakkam, alleging that they had to wait for nearly two to three hours to board buses to Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Cuddalore, Tiruchy, Kallakurichi, and other delta districts.
The protest led to traffic congestion on GST Road, with vehicles lining up for several kilometres in both directions for an hour. As a result, buses that were scheduled to reach KCBT after 12.30 am were delayed by 40 to 60 minutes.
Transport department officials attributed the sudden surge in commuters to the muhurtham day and the reopening of schools for classes 1 to 5, which led to overcrowding. “On account of the muhurtham day, 50 additional buses were operated on Wednesday. However, a sudden influx of a few hundred commuters at the terminus led to crowding. For Thursday evening, we have arranged 300 special buses from Koyambedu,” the official said.
Moreover, around 30 MTC buses were deployed and operated to several locations after 1:30 am, in response to the protest, officials added. Kilambakkam police managed to pacify the protesters.
A transport department official told TNIE, “Families heading to their hometowns for reopening of schools for classes 1 to 5 joined the crowd, which caused a spike in demand.” The official denied any shortage of buses, stating the terminus handles a footfall of around 1 lakh on muhurtham days, and extended holidays.