Amidst the ongoing holiday season, over 50,000 people who had pre-booked buses reached Koyambedu, where police barricades restricted the movement of buses in and out of the area. Passengers with confirmed reservations were unexpectedly denied entry and were asked to head to Kilambakkam at the last minute. This led to confusion and distress among people. Passengers voiced their frustration as they endured extended waits for buses.
Passengers stranded at the bus station were frustrated by the lack of organisation by the state government in Tamil Nadu. Several of them were unable to reach the Kilambakkam bus station after arriving at Koyambedu to board their buses to reach their respective destinations. Speaking to News Tamil24x7, the passengers narrated their ordeal.
One male passenger said, “This was the same situation during Pongal too. At that time, they called us 3 hours before the scheduled departure and said the bus would not be at Koyambedu and we had to be at Kilambakkam. So this time, we called them up earlier at 1.30 PM or so, and confirmed where the boarding point would be. They asked us to board at Koyambedu. It is one hour since we arrived here, and there is an announcement now. We don’t know where we have to go next. You know how this feels like, for the sake of satisfying the government’s ego, we are being troubled. They have built the bus station there so we have to go there and board. I live in Mogappair, from here if I have to reach Kilambakkam, it will take me nearly 1.5 hours. For me, Koyambedu is closer, it takes only 10 minutes. To satisfy your ego, why should we go there instead of using the facilities nearby? There is such a big omnibus bus stand here, what is the justification that we must go there only? Don’t trouble us for your ego. That is my request. For Pongal also same thing happened, they gave the excuse of traffic jams. I went from here to Kilambakkam by bike. I took the bypass and got stuck in the traffic at Tambaram, it is the same thing now. The traffic at Perungulathur has now shifted to Vandalur, that is the only difference. They have spent so much money to build it but I do not see how it will be justly used. Please do not bring your ego into this, we are suffering a lot. If the buses start an hour late, I will reach my destination at midnight, our entire plan will be spoiled because I have to travel further and go to the village and over there the buses don’t come often, we have to wait there as well. Everything will be delayed. The announcements are changing by the minute, first, they said 7 PM now they are saying all the buses, now I do not know if we have to stay here or go to Kilambakkam.”
Another passenger named Sujith said, “I am an advocate at the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court. I came here for an interview with the judges. I came here with my wife. The bus was supposed to be here at 2.15 PM, but till now there is no sight of the bus. I am supposed to take Parveen Travels, but it is still not here. The government could have at least given us a notification when we bought the ticket at least they should have told us, but they didn’t. I booked my tickets at Madurai. First, they said the bus would leave at 7 PM but now they are not saying anything. They are not even issuing a refund.”
Another passenger who was on his way to Trichy said, “They said the bus will leave at 3 PM, but the bus has not reached here yet. When I called them they said they were not letting the bus inside. The government has to allocate timing for this and do it. If they have to do it immediately, how will they? I can take a cab and go that is not an issue for me.”
Another passenger said, “They said the bus would leave at 1 PM, then they said it was at 1.45 PM. I received a call and when I reached at 1.40 PM, they said the bus had left already and asked me to go to Koyambedu. They asked me to board the 3 PM bus there. I have been waiting since 3 PM, there is no sign of any bus. When we went in and asked about it, they kept flip-flopping their answers.”
"உங்க Ego-வுக்கு எங்கள கஷ்டபடுத்தாதீங்க…" நீண்ட நேரம் காத்திருக்கும் பயணிகள் பேட்டி#OmniBusStand #Koyambedu #OmniBus #Passengers #KilambakkamBusTerminus #NewsTamil24x7 pic.twitter.com/bV1RLjtd7P
— News Tamil 24×7 | நியூஸ் தமிழ் 24×7 (@NewsTamilTV24x7) January 24, 2024
A report by Polimer News records people sharing what happened.
One passenger named Michael says, “They never intimated us. Till the evening they said the bus would leave from here (Koyambedu) only. But they have stopped it now, how can we go now?”
Another visibly upset lady passenger who had planned to go to Madurai said, “We booked the tickets 2 days back. They are not letting us inside now. I don’t know what to do. We have a function to attend tomorrow. They are not allowing us inside, we are being asked to go to Kilambakkam. When do we go, our bus is at 7.15 PM! We came here at 6.45 PM thinking we had to board here, but the police is denying entry. When we call them, they are asking us to come inside breaking the barricade but there are police standing there. How do we go inside, how do I attend the function tomorrow? The government will come up with rules suddenly and we have to suffer for that? We were not informed of the change nor was it on the news. I came here directly after work. Only after reaching the bus stand (Koyambedu) did I come to know of the change. I have to go somehow, whose money is this? I work, I earn and I am buying my tickets with that, who is giving the money, is the government arranging free buses?”
Yet another lady passenger said, “We are shunting from here to there, we need to go to Madurai, how do we go now? All of a sudden, we are asked to go to Kilambakkam, how do we go? They are not allowing us inside and asking us to go there to Kilambakkam. If we call the bus company (travels), they are saying the bus is here and asked us to come inside. It is 7 now, how will we reach on time to board the 8.15 PM bus? We left home at 4 PM, and from 5.30 PM we are running here and there. The police are not letting us inside also. What can we ladies do?”
A male passenger said, “People like us who are fairly well-to-do can manage the trip to Kilambakkam. How will the others without money go? What is Stalin doing?”
யார் அப்பன் வீட்டு காசு @Udhaystalin ??
தொடர் விடுமுறையால் 50,000-க்கும் மேற்பட்ட மக்கள் பேருந்துகள் முன்பதிவு செய்து கோயம்பேடு வந்தடைந்துள்ள வேளையில் காவல்துறையை வைத்து பேருந்துகள் உள்ளே-வெளியே செல்ல இயலாத வகையில் தடுப்புகளை அமைத்துள்ளனர்.
முன்பதிவு செய்து பேருந்து நிலையம்… pic.twitter.com/Il4GacVbXH
— Karthikeyan S 🇮🇳 (@karthikbjpkarur) January 24, 2024
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