In an X post on Monday, AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran condemned the Tamil Nadu Transport Department for its negligent attitude in curbing the multi-fold surge in Omni Bus fares ahead of the Pongal Festival.
He asserted that many Chennai residents who wish to celebrate the occasion at their native places are severely affected due to the surge in omnibus fare, pushing a few of them to even cancel their travel plans.
He added that complaints have arisen that fares for Omni buses operating from Chennai to Madurai have been hiked from Rs 700 to Rs 3,000.
"Travel agencies operating buses from Chennai to Coimbatore have increased the bus fare from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,500, and the bus fare from Chennai to Tirunelveli has also been increased from Rs 1,400 to Rs 4,000," he noted.
He highlighted that this crisis is happening almost every festive season, and the transport department had only turned a blind eye to the well-planned multi-fold hikes in omnibus fares.
He urged the Tamil Nadu government and the transport department to take severe action against Omni bus operators who have arbitrarily increased the bus fares. He also pressed to intensify monitoring measures to prevent such a hike in fares in future.
Significantly, the advance ticket bookings in trains commenced in November 2025 and sold out within minutes of booking opening in the IRCTC portal ahead of the Pongal festivities falling between January 14 to 17. Tatkal tickets were also sold out in quick time due to high demand on the IRCTC portal, pushing people to turn around for bus travel.
Notably, on January 10 and January 11, over 11 lakh people left Chennai to various parts of Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states ahead of Pongal.