Harried commuters call for privatisation

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, NOV. 17. The transport strike that has dragged on for over a week now, forcing the commuters to pay through their nose for using multiple modes of transport, has evoked varied response from the public on what the Government should do, particularly with regard to improving the services of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation.

A student of the University of Madras, Mr. Ravi Ramakrishnan, says ``the strike has further worsened the MTC services, making the public the worst sufferers. The Government should contemplate privatising at least 60 per cent of the services as in other towns and cities''.

A resident of T. Nagar, Mr. G. Raman, said any burden on the Government by additional financial commitment for payment of wages, bonus and ex-gratia would result in a fare hike. ``Most of the collections go towards wages, bonus, ex-gratia, pension and other financial commitments to its workers and officers, and the public do not get any benefit. The buses continue to be in a very bad shape''.

A resident of Villivakkam has said the strike was aimed at ``promoting their own selfish demands, without caring for the residents who are suffering''.

While some commuters are appreciative of the way in which the Government summoned private buses and mini-vans, some others feel otherwise. A commuter, in a packed mini-bus, says ``the Government, instead of conceding the workers' demands, is now losing a lot of money to private operators who were earning in lakhs at the cost of their overworked crew''.

Another commuter has termed the plying of mini-buses as a ``childish'' step that will not fulfill the needs of commuters.

Season tickets refused

Moreover, commuters are peeved at the refusal by a section of newly-recruited conductors to allow them to travel using monthly season tickets (MST) on MTC buses. ``The Government is running these buses only to demonstrate that the strike has not caused hardship to the public. In that case, why they do not accept the MSTs'', they ask.

Responding to the criticism, an official spokesman says the new staff is being sensitised. ``It will take a little while for them to familiarise themselves with the system''.

On the plight of the Corporation, Mr. K. Santhanakrishnan, a retired Senior Deputy Manager (Traffic), MTC, has said the Government is neither making any provision in the budget nor giving the permit to fix a reasonable fare system.

Making out the case for a hike in fares, he said low fares led to lack of efficiency and an increase in two-and three-wheelers that caused traffic jams, and in the operation of mini-vans as stage carriages. As a result, no proper planning was possible for future expansion in terms of augmentation and construction of additional maintenance depots for providing infrastructure.

His 10-point suggestions include revision of fares, fixing of 4 km as a minimum distance instead of the present 2 km, introduction of a flat rate system for select areas, construction of bus body with front and back entry and exit, restricting of MTC routes within 30 km, making all services ordinary and rationalising bus stops to a minimum of half-a-km. Express services should be operated only during peak hours.

Old buses should be taken off from the fleet and a workable spare position built up to operate schedules without any curtailment as reliability of services should be the main criterion, Mr. Santhanakrishnan said.

Mr. N. Srinivasan, a former employee of the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, said the best solution to end the strike was to take the issue of bonus payment to court, and pending the disposal of the case, the workers should return to duty, considering the plight of the public.

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Section  : Southern States
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