Date:30/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/30/stories/2008083050470100.htm

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MTC to be bifurcated into north, south divisions

Staff Reporter

— Photo: K. Pichumani

recognising PERFORMANCE: Transport Minister K.N.Nehru presenting an award to an employee of the Transport Corporation in Chennai on Friday.

CHENNAI: Transport Minister K.N. Nehru on Friday said the government is planning to bifurcate the Metropolitan Transport Corporation into north and south divisions.

The initiative is aimed at improving the efficiency of MTC services and help in focussing better on the demands of commuters. There is also a plan to carve out a division from the Madurai Division of the State Transport Corporation for Tirunelveli, he said. The Minister was inaugurating new services of MTC and State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) at a function organised at Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus in Koyambedu.

He said Chennai city alone would have 1,000 new buses, of which 500 would be on newly introduced routes. The other 500 would be replacements for buses in poor condition.

New routes

The new inter-State SETC routes launched are: 787 (Chennai to Kadampuzha), 767 (Tiruchi-Thiruvananthapuram), 886 (Rameswaram to Bangalore), 623 (Cuddalore to Bangalore).

A committee would soon submit a report on the pension demand of retired employees.