Date:17/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/17/stories/2008031757800300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Testing times for suburban students

Krishna Velupillai and K. Lakshmi

Poor bus services to examination centres

Photo: S. Thanthoni

Over-crowded: Students in western suburbs have little option than to board crowded buses to reach their examination centre on time. —

CHENNAI: Students across the city are engulfed by anxiety over the examinations. Those from the western and northern suburbs of the city have one more problem to worry about — the lack of proper bus connectivity to the examination centres, owing to insufficient services.

It is common to find students waiting for buses in Avadi and Ambattur to reach exam centres at Thiruninravur and Tiruvallur. About 5,000 students are taking exams in various centres between areas in Avadi and Tiruvallur. However, they have to depend on the limited bus services or shell out more money to travel in share autos to reach their centres on time.

Jaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Thiruninravur serves as the only centre for about 700 students from 10 schools appearing for public examinations. Besides Ambattur, Thirumullaivoyal and Pattabiram, several candidates travel from as far as Periapalayam and Tiruvallur to the centre at Thiruninravur.

U.Shamili from Periapalayam said there were only two bus services from Periapalayam, T 80 and 580, operated to Avadi via Thiruninravur. “If I miss the bus at 7.45 a.m., I’ll have to wait for over an hour for the next bus service. Otherwise, I travel by share autos that charge about Rs.20 to Rs.30.” She had to endure long wait and crowded buses to travel back home, she added.

For those in Ambattur there is only one service to reach the Thiruninravur centre: 65C. Another route with very infrequent buses is 71 E from Broadway to Thiruninravur.

The situation is no different for the students from Tiruvallur. R. Shanthakumari from Tiruvallur said the only service T16 operated to Avadi during morning rush honour was unreliable as it was often delayed and crowded. “I either get dropped by family members or travel by share autos.”

Transport Minister K.N. Nehru said that they were willing to rectify any such situation if the parties concerned approached them. “We are constantly seeking to augment our services and always appreciate inputs from the public,” he said.

Echoing the sentiments of the Minister, an official from the Metropolitan Transport Corporation said that if any of the schools or students approached them, they were willing to make the necessary arrangements to provide additional buses.

Jaya Educational Trust chairman A. Kanagaraj said, “we did not request additional buses as we assumed that the allotment of such a great number of students’ to a single centre would mean that the officials themselves would provide more bus services.”