The Hindu : Omnibus owners challenge shifting

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 21, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

Omnibus owners challenge shifting

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI NOV. 20. The Tamil Nadu Omnibus Owners Association and others have moved the Madras High Court seeking to stay/quash a government order shifting the omnibus stand in the city to the newly-inaugurated Koyambedu terminus, on the ground that it lacked infrastructure and maintenance facilities for long-distance luxury coaches.

When Justice K.P. Sivasubramaniam, hearing the batch of petitions, asked whether the specified route could be modified for now, the Advocate-General, N.R. Chandran, contended: ``the Novermber 18 GO has been working, and any deviation in the well-planned scheme would lead to an ultimate collapse of the same''.

On a plea by the petitioner-counsel's for permission to use the Kathippara junction route, instead of diversion through Irumbuliyur, Mr. Chandran said the Koyambedu project had been conceived and executed only to decongest city roads. Acceding to the plea would defeat the purpose of the scheme.

Earlier, R. Natesan, counsel for a batch of petitioners, argued that as per the procedure the bus operators should be served an advance notice and given at least a month's time to reply. They were also entitled to being heard. The Government followed none of the procedures before issuing the impugned order. Also the omnibus yard in the new terminus was yet to be properly equipped to handle the vehicles which required regular maintenance.

Another counsel, Radha Gopalan, submitted that the GO was illegal, as it had been issued without the mandatory procedures being followed. Citing the government stance that temporary measures were being taken to handle omnibuses, she argued that until a permanent facility was put in place, the omnibus operators should not be asked to shift to Koyambedu.

In its petition, the association maintained that there was no evidence to show that the Chennai Corporation had, at any time of the construction of the project, applied to the Regional Transport Authority for approval of the terminus for any class of public service vehicles as required under Rule 245(a) of the Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicle Rules.

The petitions have been posted to Monday for further hearing.

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