DHARMAPURI: Owing to the lack of an omni bus stand along the Salem-Bengaluru national highway, passengers arriving in Dharmapuri in private buses, especially at odd hours, are left stranded for at leats two hours, with little to no last-mile transport options. Residents have urged the district administration to take steps set up a bus stand or at least a designated area along the highway, to alleviate transport concerns of passengers deboarding here.
The district lies along the NH 44 highway and is a crucial route for all buses going from south Tamil Nadu to Bengaluru. With trains being limited, hundreds of government and private company employees use omni buses to commute to and from various parts of the state or other states often.
Speaking to TNIE, S Arulmozhi, a government employee said,
"Nearly a month ago, I had boarded a private bus from my native in Tirunelveli to work here. The bus had dropped me off near Thadangam panchayat around 3 am. At this time, there were no buses or other alternatives available. I had to wait there for at least 45 minutes before I could hire a cab.
Moreover, it also cost me about Rs 400 for to reach Dharmapuri which is only 6 km away. Therefore, a designated area must be allotted to drop off passengers where there is access to public transportation."
R Saravana Perumal from Dharmapuri, working in a private company in Andhra Pradesh, said, "Even boarding omni buses is a hassle. I had booked a bus to Tiruchendur for a pilgrimage with my family. The bus was supposed to pick us up at a "Lorry rest stop" near the Hogenakkal bypass road by around 11pm. However, the bus arrived over two hours late and we had no access to restrooms or shops to even purchase water. Adding to our woes, it was raining with no shelter in sight. Two other families were also affected like us."
Another resident, R Krishnan, said, "The lack of an omni bus stand is the issue. Passengers get dropped off at Thoppur toll gate and they have to board a bus to Dharmapuri bus stand and then change buses there. This is a tedious process and before 6 am, there are very few buses running."
Officials in the Regional Transport Office were not reachable for comment.