Month later, trucks and buses cross borders

However, entry is still restricted at Sathyamangalam, which is an important point for vehicles plying from Coimbatore and Mettupalayam. The Lorry Owners’ Federations of Tamil Nadu had recently announced an indefinite strike from Wednesday. “We have been incurring heavy losses,” said MR Kumaran, State Lorry Owners Federation. “We are being assured that all the exit points will be cleared soon. We are not going ahead with the proposed strike,” he added.

Karnataka official said soon after the traffic resumed, more than 100 fully loaded trucks passed on either side of the border at Hosur, within 30 minutes. However, bus services of SETC run by Tamil Nadu had not started yet. An SETC official in Chennai said the corporation was studying the situation and a decision would be taken later after consultation with Karnataka government officials. 

Some private bus owners too are being extra cautious. A Aarif, director, Parveen Travels Pvt. Ltd said “We have seen 20 percent dip in our business compared to the revenue we make on the Banglore-Chennai stretch. For the convenience of our passengers, we halt at Hosur and make arrangements to get in our own bus with Karnataka registration. We do not want to take any chance, till things settle down.”

“I was planning to go to Gokarna on a road trip with my friends on October 1. After reaching Hosur, the police stopped and asked us to get back. We had already travelled for hours and going back was not an option,” says Pradeep, a businessman. They changed the number plates and crossed the border. “We kept the TN number plate in the car and used it while returning. We know it was illegal but we were left with no choice.” 

According to Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, it was running only ‘express’ buses. “after studying the situation, premium ‘Rajahamsa’ and Volvo bus services would be introduced slowly, an official said. 

Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said the department officials had held talks with their counterparts in Tamil Nadu on issues like protection of buses. It had received clearance from Tamil Nadu and the bus services resumed only after that.