Unsafe At Nite In Coimbatore
Passengers waiting for bus at the deserted Gandhipuram bus stand in the city during night.In city, night seems to be too long – and ugly. Anyone arriving here during night time will never forget the way they are fleeced by a section of autorickshaw drivers or the harrowing time they endured to reach home safe. With the tourism season beginning in neighbouring Udhagamandalam hill station and the city acting as a transit point for many others who want to visit Kerala, Coimbatore Railway Junction and bus stands are witnessing more than the normal crowd nowadays. To reach Singanallur or Vadavalli from railway station – a little more than 10 km – one will be forced to spend anything above Rs. 150. But it is only around Rs. 250 to reach Coimbatore from Chennai by train, travelling a distance of 450 km!The reason: the city does not have adequate night bus services from railway station or bus stands.
The city went on a sleep mode after the 1998 communal riots and serial blasts that saw the imposition of curfew. Though curfew was lifted, it seems the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation authorities are yet to wake up to the reality. At present, the corporation is operating night bus services on Gandhipuram – Ukkadam Bus stand route, Gandhipuram – Kovaipudur route and Gandhipuram – Narasipuram route. The corporation has obtained permits to operate night bus services on 15 routes several years back. But it is not operating services on many of these routes.
Though officials say on condition of anonymity that these routes are not viable as there is no passenger patronage, it is not put on record as required by rules. How can the corporation come to the conclusion without even operating the service, ask consumer organisations. It should first introduce the services and popularise it by giving adequate publicity. Just a quick look at the crowd at railway station and bus stands in the night is proof enough to call the bluff, they say.
According to rules, if any bus operator is not plying services on routes for which permits are obtained, reason for the same should be intimated to the Regional Transport Office. But till date, the corporation has not given any such letter. If the corporation cannot ply services on all routes in the night at least it should do so along Sathyamangalam Road, Thadagam Road, Siruvani Road, Marudhamalai Road, Palakkad Road, Pollachi Road, Tiruchi Road and Avanashi Road that experience passenger rush, say consumer organisations.
If the corporation is not interested in operating the night bus services it should surrender the permits. That too is not done. On record, all the night service buses are plying as schedule. Madurai district got the sobriquet ‘Thoonga Nagaram’ – city that never sleeps – because of its efficient night bus services. And Coimbatore will soon be known as ‘Thoongum Nagram’ – city that sleeps – if authorities do not take steps to become passenger-friendly.
