COIMBATORE: Villagers of Kaduvettipalayam, Ponnegoundenpudur, Kunnathur and Kariyampalayam in Coimbatore district have been facing difficulties in availing public transportation to Tiruppur district as two bus services have not resumed after they stopped during the Covid-19 pandemic.
They claimed that a mofussil bus service operated between Tiruppur and Mettupalayam and a town bus service from Avinashi to Kovilpalayam were stopped but they have not resumed for over two years.
S Sundaramoorthi, Annur Union president of Uzhavar Uzhaipparlar Katchi, said, "The mofussil bus service was operated on the route. From Ponnegoundenpudur village buses ran twice daily — 7.30 am for Tiruppur and 5.30 pm for Mettupalayam — until the spread of Covid-19.
Similarly, there was a town bus service from Gandhipuram to Annur via Ponnegoundenpudur twice in a day — 10 am and 4 pm. But, the bus service was stopped."
Not only Ponnegoundenpudur, but many other villages currently do not have direct bus service for Avinashi and Tiruppur, he said.
V Vijakumar, a farmer, said, "The two bus services to the route were available at prime time.
They were convenient, especially for students and workers going to Tiruppur. Due to the absence of bus services, the villagers are forced to depend on private vehicles to reach Annur before going to Tiruppur by catching a bus."
The services were not resumed despite repeated appeals to the TNSTC and district administration for the last two years, claimed Vijakumar