DHARMAPURI: Residents of Somanahalli and Periyampatti are distressed that private buses bypass their villages by using the national highway. Late on Tuesday, residents stopped over seven buses in Periyampatti in protest, demanding an explanation.
Private buses going to Krishnagiri or Hosur have two designated routes. One runs along NH 44, where buses have to pass through Periyampatti, or another route that accesses NH 844, making a detour via Pulikarai and Palacode to reach Hosur.
However, over the past year, many private buses have been failing to follow the designated route, leaving commuters stranded. On Tuesday, residents of Periyampatti waylaid over seven buses, disrupted traffic for over two and a half hours, and staged a protest blocking NH 44.
A few days ago, residents of Somanahalli also staged a similar protest, blocking NH 844 by seizing two buses. Meanwhile, the Regional Transport Office has issued fines of up to Rs 1 lakh each to private buses.
Speaking to TNIE, P Manivannan from Mallupatti, a retired postal employee, said, "The private buses here are crucial for labourers from the surrounding 20 villages, as most people here work in Hosur or Bengaluru. We have about five private buses arriving here daily, but since the opening of NH 844, which connects Dharmapuri-Royakottai and Hosur, the buses do not stop here. This has resulted in hundreds of labourers being left stranded and a loss of livelihood. Workers are forced to spend Rs 100 to Palacode by hiring private autos to access the nearest bus stand from where they can go for their daily wage work."
S Thamizhan from Pulikarai said, "So far, at least a dozen buses have been fined somewhere between Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh. But still, buses fail to follow the route, and we urge the RTO to take strict action."
S Arulmurugan from Periyamapatti said, "In our case, the buses have to come to Periyampatti village. But over the past six months, private buses have been asking passengers to get off at the highway. Women and children are forced to walk 2 km to reach the village along NH 44. When we board the buses, we ask the driver and conductor, and they promise us the buses will stop at Periyampatti. But when we get close, they tell us the bus will not go into the village. They take our money and do not provide the service promised. So we stopped all private buses that failed to enter our village on Tuesday, seeking an explanation."
When TNIE reached out to officials in the Regional Transport Office, they said, "We have been repeatedly conducting checks. So far, over a dozen private buses that had failed to follow the designated routes have been fined. If they still continue to violate their routes, their permits will be cancelled."