Traffic jam in suburbs as people drive out for festival weekend

As Deepavali falls on a Sunday this year, people from southern parts of the city had started their travel from Thursday night itself. To avoid congestion at Koyambedu terminus, buses to Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Pudukkottai, and Punroti are being operated from the Tambaram Sanatorium bus terminal, while those heading to Tiruvannamalai, Vandavasi, Cuddalore, Neyveli, and Puducherry are operated from the Tambaram bus terminal.

According to commuters, with so many special buses announced ahead of the festival, the regular MTC and SETC buses that are supposed to start from Sanatorium and Tambaram bus terminals were parked on the GST Road. As these buses were piled up on the GST Road, it led to severe congestion.

“I wanted to travel to Chengalpattu from Tambaram, but I don’t know where and when to board the MTC bus as no announcements are being made,” complained R Ramanathan, a commuter from Tambram. Public alleged that instead of controlling the traffic on GST Road, the police personnel on the road were on the lookout for two-wheel riders without helmets and collecting fine.

The situation was worse in Perungalathur bus stand, where people were waiting to board buses from Erikarai – a stretch of about 1.5 km. In the absence of even basic facilities like toilets and proper lights, commuters said they were put to a lot of hardship.