Coonoor cries for bus lost during COVID

COIMBATORE: Villagers in Karimarahatty village in Coonoor petitioned Nilgiris District Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru on Monday, demanding the resumption of the bus service suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bus services to Karimarahatty village were halted in 2020-2021 during the pandemic, due to the lockdown imposed at that time.

“Since then, the bus service has not resumed, causing innumerable difficulties to people from Karimarahatty, Periyar Nagar, Chandra Colony, and other neighbouring areas,” the villagers claimed.

Due to a lack of public transportation facilities, the villagers claimed that they were forced to pay Rs 120 to Rs 150 for auto rickshaw rides when going to hospitals. It poses a threat to women travelling alone, they lament. They also claimed that their lives are at risk as they walk home to their village in the evenings due to the increasing menace of wild elephants. The resumption of bus services will help us in a significant way, as they are appealing.

The Nilgiris district administration has assured that it will look into the issue to resume bus services to the tribal villages.