After Deepavali, 15 Lakh People Expected To Return To Chennai Today
TNSTC has arranged 11,197 buses to help people return to the city from various parts of the state.
CHENNAI: Roads and shopping areas in Chennai wear a deserted look as about 15 lakh people left the city before Deepavali and most of the remaining people preferred to stay at home and celebrate the festival. However, the residents, especially those living in the southern suburbs, appealed to the traffic police personnel to make sufficient arrangements on Tuesday when a large number of people return to the city from the southern districts.
According to transport officials, a total of about 5.65 lakh people travelled by a total of 13,108 government buses on November 5, 6 and 7. About 3.79 lakh passengers left the city on November 5 and 6 and the remaining people, on November 7.
According to the statistics provided by omnibuses, about 56,000 people went to their native places on November 5 and about 79,000 on November 6 while another 56,000 travelled on November 7, taking the total number of passengers in private buses to about 2 lakh. A total of 5 lakh passengers have left by trains on all the three days, about 2 lakh people by cars and vans.
Though about 15 lakh people in Chennai and the suburbs went to their native places in three days, they are likely to reach the city on Tuesday morning, choking the Chennai-Tiruchy national highway. Though the authorities are appealing to the people to use the East Coast Road, a large number of people are expected on the Chennai-Tiruchy highway due to the presence of the Kilambakkam bus terminus and Tambaram railway station.
TNSTC has arranged 11,197 buses to help people return to the city from various parts of the state. Since all schools, colleges, offices and business establishments open on Tuesday, people living in the suburbs are expected to face heavy traffic congestion. Besides the passengers getting down at the Kilambakkam bus terminus from government and private buses, lakhs of passengers are expected in Tambaram railway station. Besides, hundreds of cars and vans, too, are expected to queue up on the Chennai-Tiruchy highway. People are appealing to the traffic police to divert most of the traffic at Singaperumalkoil and, later, at Vandalur, to ease the congestion.
