With the two-week lockdown coming into force on Monday to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the Coimbatore Division of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) operated 15 buses for employees of the Coimbatore District Collectorate and conservancy workers attached to the Coimbatore Corporation on Monday.
TNSTC officials said that six buses were operated for 123 Collectorate employees and nine buses were operated for 412 conservancy workers on Monday. The employees of various government departments at the Collectorate were picked up from Pollachi, Mettupalayam, Annur, Sulur, Karumathampatti and Vadavalli and were dropped at the Collectorate office at 9.45 a.m. The buses will also be operated at around 5 p.m. for their return journey, the officials said.
The nine buses for conservancy workers were operated from Keeranatham, Vellalore and Malumichampatti at 5.30 a.m. to the Corporation headquarters. They will be picked up at 2 p.m. after their work every day, the officials noted.
Out of the total fleet of 1,012 town and mofussil buses in Coimbatore district, the buses that were not operated on Monday were parked at 17 bus depots across the district. The buses operated for the Collectorate employees and conservancy workers will be increased in the coming days as per the requirement, according to the officials.
Amidst complaints of few conservancy workers being stranded at Ukkadam Bus Terminus due to alleged lack of buses on Monday morning, the TNSTC officials said that steps will be taken to ensure that all workers board their buses from Tuesday.
