Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

It is not a smooth ride

K. Jeshi

Route diversion imposes excess fare on commuters

Coimbatore: For the residents in Ondipudur, their cup of woes overflows. Poor roads, overflowing garbage, congested walkways and now increase in bus fare too. Bus operators plying via Trichy Road to places like Ayyankoil, Somanur, Palladam, Tirupur, Dharapuram, Kangeyam, Trichy, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam, burden the commuters with an additional bus fare of Rs. 2.

Says R. Meenakshi, residing at Weavers Colony near the flyover: "I work in a knitting company in Tirupur and I have to report at 9 a.m. So, I take the buses that go via Palladam route and end up paying the additional fare everyday."

Congestion

To ease traffic congestion, long-distance buses, as per the orders of the Regional Transport Authority, would ply from Singanallur via Peelamedu and Chinniampalayam and join the Nilambur L&T bypass road covering an additional distance of 14 km and hence Rs. 4 was charged extra.

Following complaints and representation over the extra fare, a committee consisting of Regional Transport Officer, consumer organisations and private operators representatives had surveyed more than five routes and an alternative route that would reduce the additional distance by 7 km was finalised. Now, the additional fare is Rs. 2.

"It is the lower middle class and the salaried class who bear the brunt because of the delay in completion of flyover construction," says C.M. Jeyaram, vice-president of Citizen's Voice Club (CVC). He says on a single day, there are more than 1,600 trips on this route. "At an average of 80 passengers per trip, more than one lakh passengers pay Rs. 2 as extra fare everyday. This totals to a revenue loss of more than Rs. 2 lakhs," he adds.

To move court

The CVC has plans to file a writ in the Madras High Court on the slow pace of construction of the Ondipudur flyover. Construction of the Tamil Nadu Urban Development flyover project estimated at Rs. 16.5 crores commenced on March 10, 2003 with an 18-month deadline. Of this, Rs. 9.61 crores was for the Highways Department (towards construction of road) and Rs. 4.72 crores for the Railways Department for development works at the level crossing.

The balance would be used to lay diversion roads, to shift electric poles and TWAD (Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board) pipelines and fence the open jail compound in Ondipudur. Though there was initial delay because of shifting of water lines and telephone cables, the National Highways has for its part completed the work. The Railways has cited cost escalation because of the steep rise in prices of iron and steel and difficulty in finalising the tender as reasons for delay. The project is expected to be completed by May 2006.

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