Tiruvannamalai

The decision was reached after a meeting the Collector had with the local bus owners’ association, officials said. 

Asked why the administration was setting up nine temporary bus stands when devotees had been repeatedly asked not to come to the town for the festival to prevent the festivities becoming a super spreader of coronavirus, the Collector said the temporary bus stands were in the 9 main roads entering the town.

“We cannot prevent those coming to the town for various necessities from surrounding villages and hence we have decided to reduce the number of buses by half. No bus will enter the town but halt at the temporary stands on the outskirts from where they would be ferried into the town by autos for whom rates had been fixed,” he added.

While last year the lockdown being in place resulted in devotees keeping away from the festival, this year the economy opening up had resulted in tougher issues to confront specially in conducting the festival without increasing COVID cases, the Collector said. Also last year e-passes were in force and hence crowd control was easier, he added.

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