DHARMAPURI: Residents of Eriyur appealed to the Dharmapuri administration and TNSTC to operate more buses to the area, especially in the evenings, for the benefit of school students. The people said children walk at least five km daily to reach homes due to lack of bus services.
Eriyur block has over 10 village panchayats and is one of the newest blocks that was formed two years ago. It is an isolated block in the district because of its hilly terrain. Speaking to TNIE, K Pranavkumar said, “In Eriyur most people rely on agriculture and related labour work for their livelihood. Over 1,500 students in this block study in government schools.
Over the years due to the development of roads, the resident's livelihood has improved. There are still problems. One of the key problems is the lack of sufficient transportation, especially in the evenings. This is posing a problem for children as they are unable to return home on time.”
A resident of Silanayakannur village in Eriyur, R Sureshkumar said, “High school and higher secondary school students have to reach Eriyur which is 6 km away from our village. In the mornings, we have two buses but they are crowded. In the evenings there is only one bus and after 6:30 pm there is no service to our area. Students mostly have to walk at least five km daily”, he said. Senior TNSTC officials were not available for contact.