Southern suburbs come to standstill as voters swarm back to Chennai

CHENNAI: With thousands of southern natives returning to the city after voting for the State Assembly polls on Thursday and the subsequent weekend, massive congestion on the Tiruchy-Chennai National Highway stretched from Sunday night into Monday morning.

For many, leaving the city before April 23 was a larger task due to omnibus traffic and the return became a similar ordeal.

The situation worsened near Madurantakam in Chengalpattu, where flyover construction at two locations on the highway reduced vehicles to crawling inch by inch. The gridlock, which began Sunday evening, persisted through the night and continued into Monday morning.

Similar heavy congestion was reported near Singaperumal Koil, as well as at Guduvancheri, Kilambakkam, and Tambaram, causing immense suffering for passengers on buses and drivers.

Authorities noted that buses from southern districts were stopping opposite the Kilambakkam bus terminus to drop passengers, who then crossed the road en masse to enter the terminus, adding to the chaos. In response, the Tamil Nadu Transport Department had ordered that buses must enter the Kilambakkam bus terminus directly to drop passengers, and not stop on the road.

Additionally, police imposed diversions for heavy vehicles returning to Chennai from southern districts via Chengalpattu on Sunday and Monday. Heavy vehicles were directed via the Kancheepuram road through Walajabad, Kancheepuram, and Sriperumbudur to reach the Bengaluru-Chennai highway. Similarly, those coming via Singaperumal Koil were asked to take the Oragadam-Sriperumbudur road. Vehicles heading to Chennai from Puducherry, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, and surrounding areas were instructed to use the ECR and OMR roads instead of the Tiruchy-Chennai highway.

However, these orders were not fully implemented, causing a night-long traffic nightmare that left tens of thousands of passengers and drivers stranded in distress.

Flight fares zoom

Problems on the land were translated to the air in the form of hiked ticket fares. The Thoothukudi-Chennai service, which is usually priced around Rs 5,354, has increased to about Rs 17,089. Similarly, Madurai-Chennai fares have risen from Rs 5,099 to as high as Rs 32,508. Tickets from Tiruchy to Chennai have gone up from Rs 4,551 to around Rs 14,310, while Coimbatore-Chennai fare increased from Rs 4,634 to Rs 11,149.

Passengers said the sudden rise in fares has caused inconvenience, as many had to spend much more than expected to return to Chennai on time, as offices reopened on Monday. Despite the high prices, tickets were booked quickly due to urgent travel needs.