PMK urges Tamil Nadu govt to replace buses older than six years

CHENNAI: Citing reports of two government buses breaking down in Thanjavur on Saturday, PMK founder S Ramadoss urged the state government to replace buses that were older than six years and maintain the existing ones.

In a statement, the senior leader said that in the Thanjavur incidents, the passengers had managed to escape only due to the efforts of the bus drivers. "It is condemnable that the government has not taken any steps to maintain government buses. Since the last year, there has been a rise in incidents of government buses breaking down and accidents being caused. In Chennai, a passenger fell through a hole in a bus, and in Mayiladuthurai, a conductor suffered injuries due to a damaged seat," he recalled.

Out of 20,926 buses, as many as 1,500 buses have been running for more than 15 years while 12,000 buses have been running for more than 12 years, the PMK leader said.

"After the DMK came to power, only a minimal number of buses have been procured. The transport corporation had claimed that as many as 17,459 faults in these buses were fixed by May 6. But the Thanjavur incident proves otherwise," Ramadoss said,

He also recalled that transport minister SS Sivasankar had announced that the government would procure 7,682 new buses and operate 1,000 electric buses on contract basis. "The minister also claimed that 300 new buses will be launched every month. It has been 20 days after the announcement but not a single bus has been rolled out," Ramadoss pointed out.

Ramadoss urged the government to phase out buses that are more than six years old and procure new buses. He also demanded it to spend funds to buy spare parts. Transport corporations should be strengthened to improve the livelihood of poor people and also to improve the economy of the state, he added.