Pongal festivities: 6.4 lakh people leave Chennai in special buses over three days

Chennai, Jan 13 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Transport Department officials reported that around 6.4 lakh people traveled from Chennai to various districts in state-run special buses over three days leading up to the Pongal festivities.

On Sunday, January 12, more than 2.17 lakh passengers utilised government-operated special buses arranged to manage the Pongal rush.

To accommodate the increased demand, the department scheduled 3,461 buses for January 13.

Between January 10 and 13, a total of 14,104 buses were scheduled to operate from Chennai, comprising 2,092 regular services and 5,736 special services.

Additionally, 7,800 special buses were deployed from other towns.

Post-Pongal, from January 15 to 19 as many as 22,676 buses will be operated, including 10,460 daily services and 5,290 special buses from Chennai, along with 6,926 buses.

With the government declaring January 17 as a public holiday and aligning two weekends with the official Pongal holidays from January 13 to 16, the festive season spans nine days.

This year, over 13 lakh people are projected to leave Chennai during this period. To meet this massive demand, approximately 14,100 government buses, 370 trains, 8,000 private buses and numerous private vehicles are being utilised.

However, ticket prices have surged across all modes of transport. For example, a one-way trip from Chennai to Coimbatore on an airconditioned private sleeper bus costs as much as Rs 5,000 on peak travel days.

In many cases, private operators are demanding full fares, even for passengers disembarking midway.