Chennai News

Chaos At Kilambakkam Continues, DMK Transport Min Says Plying Buses Past Midnight Is Not Safe

February 12, 2024
The Commune

Over the past few days, Kilambakkam Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus (KCBT) has witnessed growing public discontent and protests due to the ongoing issue of operating a restricted number of buses. This has resulted in prolonged waiting periods, and with each passing day, the situation is intensifying, people are increasingly finding themselves stranded and facing inconvenience in their efforts to travel to their hometowns.

The demonstrations of ordinary citizens at the bus stand and GST road gained extensive coverage on various news channels through the night, notably on the DMK-affiliated Sun TV. The events were also widely circulated on social media with a hashtag trending #KilambakkamBusTerminus. However, when ministers visited KCBT, they downplayed the situation, asserting that there were no genuine concerns. During the subsequent press conference, they casually dismissed the protests as a supposed conspiracy orchestrated by opposition parties and some agitated omnibus owners.

Following the visit, Transport Minister SS Sivasankar and Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department Minister PK Sekar Babu held a press briefing to elaborate on the situation.

“There is a favorable situation which will definitely bring the omnibus station into use by the end of April. Therefore, we are informing you that the Omnibus bus stand will be fully completed by April and facilities will be provided to park the omnibuses“. – Minister Sekhar Babu said.

Transport Minister SS Sivasankar said “For the past two days, the Leader of the Opposition and some other party leaders have been spreading unnecessary rumors about the Kilambakkam Bus Stand and trying to create an appearance that the regular buses are not running. After the inauguration of Kilambakkam Kalaingar Centenary Bus Station, 20% of the buses are operated from the Madhavaram bus stand and 80% of the buses are from our Kilambakkam bus stand out of 100%. Rumours are being spread unnecessarily that some buses have already arrived and running are not running today.”

“Next, there was a problem that the bus did not come on these two days. It happened 12 o’clock and 1 o’clock in the middle of the night. In the evening, there is no such problem, regular buses are running and the people who come on the bus are leaving. Whether it is Koyambedu or Kilambakkam, there are only very few buses running after 11:30 PM at night. In other words, buses run only to Trichy and other buses will not be available. Why because it is not safe for those who are going to travel long distances to go beyond that time. Running buses from 12 o’clock till 4 o’clock means that it is not safe when traveling in NH where the traffic of lorries is heavy is a time-honored practice. But after twelve o’clock a hundred or two hundred people come, stand, and make this trouble, it seems they are doing it with some intention,” he further said.

Later during the press conference, he explained omnibus owners had approached the High Court and requested to run buses from Koyambedu. During that hearing, the judge directed to accept certain requests of the owners and issued direction to Transport department. Until Mudichur omnibus bus stand establishes they can carry on from their own bus depots and various pickup and drop points and also said that some omnibus stand owners were misguiding the judgement and twisting it as Koyambedu has reopened again and also blamed some omnibus owners that by creating fake news that government bus facility low in Kilambakkam so that the passengers will come to them.

Later during the press briefing, it was revealed that Omni bus owners had approached the high court, seeking permission to operate buses from Koyambedu. In the hearing of the two parties’ arguments, the judge directed the acceptance of certain requests from the owners. The judge issued instructions to the Transport department, allowing the bus owners to continue operating from their own depots, pickup, and drop points until the establishment of the Mudichur Omni Bus Stand. Additionally, he cautioned against misinformation, stating that some omnibus owners were misinterpreting the judgment to suggest that Koyambedu had reopened. Furthermore, he accused certain omnibus owners were spreading fake news about the government bus facility being inadequate in Kilambakkam, presumably to attract passengers to their services.

 After the briefing, when reporters questioned the ministers, they responded with anger, issuing threats and displaying disrespectful behavior. They spoke in singular disrespectfully, attempting to deter sharp questions from the journalists.

A reporter questioned, “People say traveling to Kilambakkam there is only one bus in an hour?” Immediately Transport Minister SS Sivasankar angrily replied, “Oh! People are saying, did you confirm it? Come let’s go, we will confirm it, let’s see.”

Immediately HR&CE minister Minister PK Sekar Babu jumped into the conversation saying, ” You ask us in a blaming tone… What can we do if question us in a blaming tone? 

Minister Sivasankar continued, “We are not accusing all the people.”

The reporter sadly said “Sir, the protest is happening for three days, for a day it’s okay to say a planned conspiracy but it is happening for 3 days.“

Minister Sivasankar replied “On what time did it happen, tell me yourself, do you like only if Annamalai speaks?

Immediately HR&CE minister Minister PK Sekar Babu intervened and said, “Sir you should speak like a journalist you are speaking like on stage, stop with the question (singular Tone)… how many have asked questions, we are answering them all. You’re talking continuously like you’re on stage. If you ask a question we will answer, if you talk like on stage… you are talking like on stage ask only questions, I won’t answer if you talk like that.”

The Tamil Nadu government was aware of the traffic congestion on GST Road even before the construction of KCBT. Despite recognizing the road’s limited capacity to accommodate increased traffic, the government went ahead with building the terminus. This oversight is evident on two occasions – during Pongal and now on Friday nights for the weekends and special occasions like auspicious days, when there is a higher demand for buses. The lack of adequate pre-planning and subsequent disregard for the actual situation, coupled with an unwillingness to acknowledge faults, is disheartening. Moreover, the administration’s response, including threats to journalists and protesters, and the attribution of blame to omni bus owners, reflects poorly on the state’s governance.

 

 

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