The Tiruchy-Chennai National Highway faced severe traffic congestion as lakhs of people—who had left the city for the long weekend—returned on Monday morning.
Traffic congestion on GST Road near Perungalathur on Monday morning
Chennai:
It took a turn for the worse when private buses began to halt between Guduvanchery and Perungalathur to drop off passengers. The situation cleared up only after 11 am, claimed the police.
Meanwhile, commuters complained that the government should have anticipated the traffic snarl and taken measures to ensure smooth commute during the long weekend. Some also feel that new permanent bus terminal should be opened soon so that the traffic can be controlled better.
Raj Kumar, a commuter from Perungulathur, said, “My bus was scheduled to reach Perungalathur at 5 am but it reached around 9 am. Because of the delay, I had to miss work at the beginning of the week.”
The vehicles began to pile up on the GST Road from late Sunday night. Sources said that vehicles also queued up at toll plazas and took a long time to clear out. Due to the heavy traffic congestion, Kancheepuram Superintendent of Police Santosh Hadimani even requested the toll booth staff not to collect the toll for a while. The staff, however, refused to comply, aggravating the situation.
It took a turn for the worse when private buses began to halt between Guduvanchery and Perungalathur to drop off passengers. The situation cleared up only after 11 am, claimed the police.
Meanwhile, commuters complained that the government should have anticipated the traffic snarl and taken measures to ensure smooth commute during the long weekend. Some also feel that new permanent bus terminal should be opened soon so that the traffic can be controlled better.
Raj Kumar, a commuter from Perungulathur, said, “My bus was scheduled to reach Perungalathur at 5 am but it reached around 9 am. Because of the delay, I had to miss work at the beginning of the week.”