200 special buses from Trichy to Chennai to cater to Diwali rush

The Trichy division of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) has planned to operate as many as 200 special buses to Chennai to cater to the extra rush during Diwali festival. Similarly, three temporary bus terminals would be operated in the city to avoid congestion at the Central Bus Stand here.
Meanwhile, the association for omni bus operators in Tamil Nadu has said that operators were told not to hike ticket prices during Diwali. However, the transport department is responsible to check whether the bus operators are adhering to the norms and not collecting excess fares.
According to officials with TNSTC here, 200 special buses including ordinary, deluxe, and ultra-deluxe buses have been planned to be operated from October 15 to 20 from Trichy to Chennai. Similarly, about 100 special buses will be operated to Coimbatore, Madurai, and Tiruppur during the same period.

Since the 4.5acre Central Bus Stand in heart of the city will be inadequate during the festive period to handle the soaring crowd, three temporary bus shelters respectively in Mannarpuram, Old Iluppur road and near Sona Mina Cinemas in Cantonment has been planned. "We have insisted the district administration to conduct a review meeting ahead of Diwali to ensure hassle free journey for the public travelling to their homes. The transport department will be urged to check overpricing of omni bus tickets," said M Sekaran, member, District Road Safety Council.
The council has also reiterated TNSTC to permit buses into Central bus stand only 30 minutes prior to departure to prevent bottlenecks.
In order to prevent the public from being fleeced, proper mechanism and helpline is yet to be launched by the district administration. However, sources said that a district level review meeting to regulate the traffic during Deepavali festival would be held in a day or two.
Mohammed Afzal, President of Tamil Nadu Omni Bus Owners Association, said that bus operators were instructed not to increase the fare, but the efficacy of such instructions is doubtful unless the district administration and regional transport department pitches in with proper mechanism to prevent overpricing of bus tickets, particularly to Chennai.

Source:https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/trichy/200-special-buses-from-trichy-to-chennai-to-cater-to-diwali-rush/articleshow/61044076.cms