According to a conductor of one of the buses, seats were filling up faster than usual even on regular buses
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Chennai: With a sea of humanity moving towards Rameswaram to pay their last respects to the departed former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, road transport and railway authorities have taken steps to increase their services to the temple town. Dr Kalam’s body was flown to his hometown on Wednesday.
The State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) had arranged four extra buses, apart from the eight regular Chennai to Rameswaram services. However, the rates of the tickets for the 12-hour journey, was the same, Rs 410 .
According to a conductor of one of the buses, seats were filling up faster than usual even on regular buses. An SETC official said that depending on the need they would arrange the required number of buses for Wednesday night and Thursday.
The Southern Railway has introduced special trains from Madurai to Rameswaram at 7:30 am. on Thursday. The return train will leave at 2 pm.
Saravanan U, a B.E. student from DMI College who was boarding the Rameswaram bus, said that throughout his life he had been greatly inspired and influenced by Kalam.
“He has done so much for students and always asked us to follow our dreams and also dream bigger. The least we can do is pay our last respects to him.”
K. Selvakumar, a software engineer at Cognizant, Chennai, who was waiting for the Rameswaram Express to start at Egmore station said that Kalam’s autobiography Agni Siragugal changed his life.
Parveen Travels arranged 12 buses to Rameswaram to carry people free of charge and vouched to arrange more since they were great admirers of the former President and had also been associated with him in the past.
“We have been associated with the ‘Green Kalam’ project to have more environment friendly buses and also we plant a sapling for every ticket that is bought. Therefore, he has influenced us heavily and this is our small way of paying tribute to him.” an official said.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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