Chennai, Sept 7:
Tamil Nadu’s omnibus operators have urged Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to intervene in delays in issuing permits and alleged that officials at border check posts were demanding bribes from private bus operators.
All Omni Bus Owners’ Association president A Anbalagan, in a representation to the Chief Minister, said around 300 permit applications had remained pending for more than a month, causing financial losses to operators, inconvenience to passengers and loss of tax revenue to the government.
According to the association, nearly 1,200 omnibuses operate daily from Chennai to southern districts, while another 600 services connect the city with Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Puducherry and Telangana. Across Tamil Nadu, more than 6,000 omnibuses reportedly carry over 2.5 lakh passengers every day.
The association said the sector contributes around Rs 900 crore in direct revenue and Rs 3,000 crore in indirect revenue to the State annually.
Anbalagan said an online system introduced after the present Transport Commissioner assumed office had helped clear about 270 applications. However, another 300 permits were still pending for over a month. Several buses for which permits had already been issued were also awaiting final approval, despite operators paying about Rs 1.5 lakh in quarterly road tax per bus.
The association also alleged that officials at 22 border check posts were demanding between Rs 500 and Rs 3,000 from each vehicle. The allegations have been made by the operators’ association and would require verification by the authorities.
The operators have also proposed a multi-hub model using both Koyambedu and Kilambakkam.
They pointed out that the existing omnibus facility can accommodate only about 150 buses, while nearly 1,200 buses operate through the Chennai region every day, resulting in congestion because of inadequate parking, staging and boarding facilities.
The association has sought temporary or permanent allotment of the underutilised Koyambedu CMDA bus terminus for government and omnibus operations.
Under its proposed “Koyambedu plus Kilambakkam” model, Koyambedu could serve passengers from north, central and western Chennai, while Kilambakkam could cater to southern Chennai and surrounding areas.
The association said the arrangement would save many passengers from travelling up to two additional hours to Kilambakkam and having to change buses, while also reducing congestion in and around Koyambedu.