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Tamil Nadu
PRECARIOUSLY PLACED: Overcrowded buses in the city make matters worse for the inflation-hit commuters.— Even as the middle income group had been struggling to cope with the rise in prices of essential commodities, the steep increase in the price of fuel has come as a body blow to it. Members of this section have been deleting items from the regular list of vegetables, fruits and groceries. But, they do not have many options in terms of public transport. And, this forces many to use their two-wheelers that have to run only on petrol. Those having a two-wheeler and a car are u sing the latter very sparingly. Coimbatore city is a classic case of people being cornered by inflation in terms of commuting to work. Very few people have escape routes, if their house and office are connected by a straight bus route. Others are forced to incur heavy expenses on fuel. People cite the case of Chennai where public transport options are more. For instance, those who had been travelling from Perambur to Egmore for work on their motorcycles or cars can now take an electrical multiple unit (EMU) train to Chennai Central. They can walk from there to Park station and take a train to Egmore. Apart from the EMU services in three directions, Chennai city also has a Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) that links places that are already connected by enough bus services. Though Coimbatore city cannot be compared with a metropolis such as Chennai, there is a strong view that it can still have train services that, in the long run, will de-congest roads and help reduce spending on fuel for private vehicles. “The city already has railway stations in Peelamedu, Singanallur, Ondipudur and Irugur. These are areas from where people commute to the city to work in their vehicles. Expansion of the rail network to accommodate local trains will not only help people use more public transport and overcome inflation, but also de-congest the city roads,” says vice-president of Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore. But, now the city’s public transport system is very weak, he says. The association is pursuing with city planning authorities the laying of crucial link roads so that the existing roads are de-congested. New roads will, in turn, lead to better transportation. Coimbatore has been examining options for improving its public transport system. More than 10 years ago, railway authorities and the Coimbatore Corporation examined the possibilities for an MRTS that will function as a circular rail route. The idea had been to have a circular route connecting key areas in the city and suburbs. And radial roads will link the railway stations with the core areas of the city. But, this option has been shelved. The Corporation plans to implement a bus rapid transit system that will have bus services on exclusive lanes. While planning Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission schemes, the Corporation had also examined options for a skybus. Mr. Soundararajan says a combination of more public transport options and an inclination among the public to use these will help in avoiding huge spending on fuel. S. Natarajan, a resident of Saibaba Colony, endorses the view that people should look for options to cut down spending on fuel. But, with very few public transport options, one has to look for alternatives within one’s house. Mr. Natarajan and his daughter, a final year dental surgery student, have stopped using their car. “We use our scooters and this has helped us save Rs.500 on petrol that we were actually spending on our car.” Mr. Natarajan and people in his area are now exploring the option of using one car to office and sharing the fuel expense. “Four or five of us can come in one car and share the fuel cost,” he says. This will help in cushioning the impact of inflation, without being forced to use heavily crowded buses. “It is not as though people are not inclined to use public transport and as though they are used to wasting money on fuel,” argues Coimbatore Consumer Cause secretary K. Kathirmathiyon. “Public are forced to use their own vehicles because they do not want to hang on footboard and risk falling from it,” he says. It is better to spend on fuel than on medical expenses and suffer pain. “I use five litres of petrol a week for my scooter. It works out to Rs.275 a week. When I take a straight bus from Vadavalli (where he lives) to my workplace (State Bank of India near the railway junction), the ticket charge costs me only around Rs.50 a week. It definitely means a lot to me. But, I am not able to exercise this option always,” he says. Mr. Kathirmathiyon says there have been times when he had to rush back home to take his scooter, because the buses had been overcrowded. “How can we get around fuel cost increase when we have very few options?” The city and suburbs have 509 Government and 160 private local service buses. But, all of them are packed like tins of sardines during peak hours. That forces a number of people to use own vehicles though it means spending more on fuel.
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