CHENNAI: Over 60 per cent of MTC buses in Chennai began plying on the second day of Bharat Bandh on Tuesday, according to representatives of trade unions. While the public suffered without MTC buses on Monday, the situation was close to normal on Tuesday.
However, as many people didn’t expect MTC buses to ply on Tuesday, office-goers thronged Metro stations and railway stations, leaving them crowded. People who reached the city via overnight trains and buses from other districts took buses from the Chennai Central and Egmore railway stations and CMBT.
While students regularly travel on the footboards of buses and trains, on Tuesday, they had no option but to do so.
Banks hit by strike
About 6 lakh cheques worth Rs 5,000 crore could not be sent for clearance in the Southern Grid in Chennai as branches did not function due to the strike, said bankers. At the national level, about 20 lakh cheques worth Rs 18,000 crore could not be cleared.
Although State Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank continued normal operations, other public sector employees kept away from usual regular transactions. Many ATMs were out of cash and people struggled to carry out chores.
“We regret the inconvenience caused to the public. We are sure that they will appreciate the cause behind our strike in defending public sector banking,” said CH Venkatachalam, general secretary of All India Bank Employees Association.
“Banks have Rs 162 lakh crore of people’s money as deposits. Safety of this huge public savings is a prime need. We have seen how banks collapsed and people lost deposits. Hence, public sector banks should be strengthened,” he said.