Chennai: The Tamil Nadu for the Rights of All Types of Differently and Caregivers (TARATDAC) has written a letter to Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami alleging that differently abled-people are being denied concessional fare in the newly launched state-run sleeper and luxury buses.
According to members, the state transport department in the last month flagged off 515 new buses equipped with new facilities like toilet and sleeper class. Out of 515, buses, about 290 buses are being operated without conductors.
“The transport staff across the state deprived rights of differently-abled people, as we are forced to provide full fare despite concession. Sometime, this leads to an altercation between us and transport workers,” the letter to CM said.
According to 2008 and 2010 Government Orders (GOs), the government provided concession for differently-abled persons who can travel with 75 per cent concessional fare in the state-run buses barring A/C buses.
S. Namburajan, state general secretary, TARATDAC, said the higher-ups in the transport department should immediately intervene and instruct officials from all the transport regions not to resort to such practices.
Similarly, P. Simma Chandran, president of Federation of Tamil Nadu Differently-Abled Association, said, “We are facing such type of issues intermittently. The government should either resolve the issue or make amendment in the GO, as it operated new buses across the state recently.” When contacted, a special officer, transport department, said, “We have not received any complaint so far. However, we will look into the matter.”
