A section of passengers who waited at the Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus (KCBT) in Chennai protested at the Trichy-Chennai National Highway about the lack of buses to Trichy, in the early hours on Saturday, February 10. On Saturday, the passengers expressed discontent over arrangements made by the state government. They argued that KCBT operated a limited number of buses forcing them to wait for hours at the station.
The commuters who wanted to go to their hometowns on Friday night were waiting at the newly inaugurated Kilambakkam terminus for hours only to find very few buses operating from Chennai to Trichy and other delta districts. The frustrated individuals waited till early morning. Young women, children, and elderly people were seen sleeping on the platforms.
The passengers alleged that there was no connectivity from the various localities in Chennai to reach the KCBT. After paying high prices for autos and taxis, they found very few buses operating from KCBT. Commuters also alleged they could not get seats on buses operating on Friday night as seats were already reserved online. Some people chased government buses to get seats, while others jumped inside through windows.
Reports stated that they did not get a proper response from Tamil Nadu Transport Corporation officials. More than 200 passengers protested for more than two hours. Guduvanchery police officials pacified the passengers and dispersed the crowd. Ever since the new terminal began operations more than a month ago, passengers have complained about traffic congestion, insufficient buses, and difficulties accessing the terminus during peak hours.
Opposition party leaders criticised the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government for the poor arrangements in the new terminus. Edappadi Palanisamy, general secretary of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), criticised the lack of planning by the state government and for putting the passengers through hardship.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president K Annamalai condemned the state government for not operating sufficient buses during the weekends from KCBT. He pointed out that the problems faced by the commuters were yet to be addressed, even though the terminus had been open for 40 days.
The TN government said traffic congestion induced by road accidents in the Madhurandhangam locality had caused the delay in operating buses in the KCBT.