Heavy traffic seen in Perungalathur junction on Sunday evening as people return to the city after Pongal holidays
Heavy traffic seen in Perungalathur junction on Sunday evening as people return to the city after Pongal holidays Photo | Kevin Nashon

Bengaluru bypass, GST road, ECR grind to a halt as lakhs return to Chennai

Private buses charge passengers Rs 3,500 to Rs 5,000 per ticket against the usual fare of Rs 1,400 to Rs 2,000.
Published on

CHENNAI: With lakhs of people returning to Chennai after celebrating Pongal holidays in native villages, massive vehicular congestion was witnessed for several hours on Sunday on the three major entry roads — GST Road from Singaperumal Koil to Tambaram, Muthukadu-Thiruvanmiyur stretch of ECR, and Sriperumbudur-Maduravoyal section of Bengaluru Bypass. The traffic on Perungalathur Road overbridge also moved at a snail’s pace as a huge number of private vehicles began returning to the city on Sunday afternoon.

Taking advantage of the heavy rush, private omnibuses on Saturday collected fares higher than the approved rates mentioned in the recently released fare list. Against the usual fare of Rs 1,400 to Rs 2,000 from cities such as Tiruchy, Madurai, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, and Nagercoil to Chennai, the ticket fares stood at Rs 3,500 to Rs 5,000 for non-AC and AC-seater buses due to high demand, intensified by marriages scheduled on the first auspicious (muhurtham) day of Thai month. However, fares for Sunday increased only marginally.

Commuters said that though platforms like RedBus displayed lower fares on their main page, prices surged by Rs 1,000 to 1,500 during the booking process, depending on seat selection.

According to transport department officials, nearly 9 lakh commuters have returned to Chennai since Friday. Kilambakkam bus terminus handled about 1.5 lakh commuters daily over the past two days, with round-the-clock arrivals. However, the MTC’s early-morning connecting bus services remain inadequate, forcing commuters to spend Rs 300 to Rs 600 on cabs to reach their destinations, particularly in Central and Northern Chennai areas.

A senior official from SETC stated, “The demand slightly went up in the eleventh hour as Saturday being a ‘muhurtham’ day. Both TNSTC and SETC have deployed additional services wherever needed to accommodate the increased demand,” the official added.

A Anbalagan, president of the All-Omni Bus Owners Association, stated, “All omnibuses have adhered to the approved fare list issued by the association. A few tourist buses seem to have overcharged commuters, and we have advised them to refrain from such practices.”

Meanwhile, to accommodate returning commuters, the Chennai division of Southern Railway announced special local train services between Kattankulathur and Tambaram on January 20. These trains aim to facilitate a seamless return journey for passengers arriving at Kilambakkam bus terminus on government and private buses.

According to an official note, suburban special trains were operated from Kattangulathur to Tambaram between 4 am and 6.20 am. Similarly, special trains ran from Tambaram to Kattangulathur with stoppages at Potheri, Guduvancheri, Urapakkam, Vandalur, and Perungalathur stations in both directions.

X
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com