Tamil Nadu: Protests continue post poll as returning voters struggle for bus service

CHENNAI: It is not just the people who were heading to their native towns and villages who protested over poor bus service on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

On Friday, a day after polling for Tamil Nadu Assembly elections was over, passengers staged road blockades in Villupuram and Ulundurpet alleging inadequate bus services to Chennai and other cities following the Assembly election voting.

The protests were triggered by heavy passenger rush, as a large number of people, who had travelled to their hometowns to vote, began returning to cities, including Chennai, Tiruchy, Madurai, Salem, Erode and Vellore.

In Villupuram, the protest broke out around 1.30 am on Friday near the new bus stand, while in Ulundurpet, passengers blocked roads in the early morning hours after waiting throughout the night for buses.

In both towns, passengers alleged that only a limited number of buses were operated, that too at long intervals, forcing them to wait for hours. As the crowd at bus stops swelled, many had to travel dangerously on footboards and even roofs of the bus. However, there still were a large number of people who could not get buses to the places where they worked.

At Villupuram, passengers complained that despite repeated requests, no immediate action was taken. This triggered anger among the people, who blocked the road, which in turn disrupted traffic on the Chennai–Tiruchy highway. Police later arranged additional buses, including four services to Chennai.

At Ulundurpet, passengers stopped government buses and staged a blockade after additional services were not operated even by early morning. Police and transport officials held talks and subsequently arranged more buses.

In both places, protesters dispersed after additional buses were operated. However, heavy crowding continued at bus stands for several hours.