Tamil Nadu Minister for Transport S.S. Sivasankar on Sunday inaugurated the expansion of the free bus travel scheme for women in the Nilgiris. The Minister also opened a newly built workshop and workers’ rest area in Kotagiri, and flagged off five new Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) buses from Coonoor.
Tourism Minister K. Ramachandran, who participated in the event, said that a total of 25,821 women from Udhagamandalam Zone of the TNSTC have used the services, which are operational in 99 buses plying in the district. He said that the expansion of the service will drive up daily bus users and up to 41,959 women can benefit everyday from the scheme. Also present at the event was Nilgiris MP A. Raja.
Residents allege discrimination
Meanwhile, residents of Koranur village and Bikkapathy Mund in Ebbanad village visited the District Collector’s office on Monday, alleging discrimination from a landowning community in the Nilgiris, who allegedly stopped the newly started bus service to the village by stopping vehicles on Sunday.
According to their petition, the residents of Koranur village had managed to get the bus route from Ebbanad to their village extended after much effort. They alleged that resident of Ebbanad village had stopped the buses plying to their village on Sunday, stating that they will not allow bus services to Koranur to continue. They also alleged that the TNSTC staff operating the bus are from Ebbanad and were refusing to operate the buses till Koranur village. They demanded that action be initiated against the villagers blocking bus routes to the village.
