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As RoB work drags on, Srirangam folk demand minibuses

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Trichy: It has been four years since works on the Periyar Nagar RoB got under way, owing to which bus services from Srirangam were partially suspended, forcing residents to take a detour to reach the mainland including Thiruvanaikoil and Kollidam check-post.

That apart, the annual festival of Sri Ranganathaswamy temple is under way and the opening of Paramapathavasal is scheduled for December 18, when lakhs of devotees are expected to throng the island. As the consecration ceremony of Jambukeswarar temple in Thiruvanaikoil also falls on December 12, residents say that the number of tourists and devotees will drastically increase for the next 30 days as the two major events fall within a week’s gap.

Since the RoB works would go on for few more months, residents sought the district administration to consider operating minibuses that are capable of connecting Srirangam and Thiruvanaikoil temples by passing through residential streets.

The bus services between the temples were suspended due to the ongoing civil works for the RoB in Periyar Nagar. “To reach Thiruvanaikoil and No. 1 tollgate from Srirangam, we had to reach either Melachinthamani or Chathiram bus stand to board the appropriate buses. Apart from increasing the travel duration, the cost of travel doubles,” said T Santhanakrishnan, a resident of Thiruvalluvar Nagar.


“Minibuses can be considered to connect Srirangam with Kollidam checkpost via Thiruvanaikoil temple, and in the return direction, the minibuses can reach Srirangam via Yatri Nivas and Melur road to enable pilgrims to reach the temple. Such plans will decongest the island,” said K Venkateswaran, a resident of Srirangam.


At least five lakh people are expected to throng Srirangam this month. Since the Periyar Nagar RoB work has been dragging by its feet, residents said that minibuses could also fetch ample revenue to Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC).


Despite good patronage on the cards, senior officials in TNSTC said that they do not have any plans to launch minibus services in the city. “As of now, we do not have any plans to launch minibus service as there are no demands for such buses,” an official source with TNSTC said.


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