Date:15/01/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/15/stories/2008011558270300.htm

Tamil Nadu

Suburban commuters seek city bus services across districts

V.Venkatasubramanian

KANCHEEPURAM: Chennai suburban commuters’ expectations of inter-district bus services are yet to be fully met because of the monopoly enjoyed by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Chennai.

The list of additional services, introduced by the MTC on select routes such as from T.Nagar to Tiruvallur and Tiruverkadu, to Sriperumbudur and from Thiruvanmiyur to Sriperumbudur recently , only indicates that there is a demand for such services among passengers from suburban areas.

Pointing that seven additional buses have been introduced on these routes, apart from existing vehicles operated by the MTC, sources in the State Transport Corporation, Villupuram (Division III), Kancheepuram, said that services on these routes could be augmented if their Corporation was also permitted to operate .

However, the immunity and monopoly ‘granted’ to the MTC, from Day One when the erstwhile Pallavan Transport Corporation was formed seems to stand in the way of introducing inter-district services.

Sources pointed out that how similar monopoly and immunity enjoyed by the erstwhile Thiruvalluvar Transport Corporation was obliterated after the formation of Puratchi Thalaivi J. Jayalalitha Transport Corporation.

Apart from restricting the then TTC (now State Express Transport Corporation following the merger of the TTC and the JJTC) to confine to inter-district long-distance routes, other corporations were also permitted to operate services from their respective districts to Chennai, they added.

Highly placed sources in the government said that the Transport Ministry was seriously pursuing the idea of allowing the STC, Kancheepuram, to run parallel services on select routes operated by the MTC so that a new tier in public transport system could be offered .

If the STC, Kancheepuram, was allowed to operate such services, connecting important suburban areas with places within Chennai Corporation limits, then a new tier of public transport in terms of bus fare could be made available to the commuters, sources added.