Government bus breaks down midway, leaving over 40 passengers stranded for hours
Cuddalore: More than 40 passengers faced a lot of trouble when a government bus going from Chidambaram to Salem suddenly broke down midway in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu. The bus stopped in the middle of the road due to mechanical fault near Veppur (Veypur) area, due to which traffic was affected for some time. Later, the bus was removed from the roadside and the passengers were sent to their destination through other government buses.
According to the information, on Tuesday, a government bus of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation had left from Chidambaram for Salem. The scheduled route of the bus was to Salem via Veppur. There were more than 40 passengers on board the bus during the journey, including students, elderly, women and other daily commuters.
The journey was going on normally, but as the bus reached Veppur area, it suddenly developed a technical fault. Due to engine problem, the bus stopped in the middle of the road and could not move forward. The sudden stoppage of the bus caused panic among the passengers for some time.
The bus driver and conductor tried to restart the bus on the spot. He tried to start the engine several times, but the technical fault could not be resolved. When the bus did not start despite efforts for a long time, the passengers also tried to start the bus by pushing it to help the driver and conductor. However, this attempt also could not be successful and the bus remained standing there.
During this time the movement of other vehicles on the road started getting affected. Seeing the situation, with the help of the driver and the local people, the bus was removed from the middle of the road and placed on the side, so that the traffic remained normal and the situation of jam did not arise.
The transport department was informed after the bus completely broke down. After some time, other government buses passing through the same route were stopped and the passengers stranded in the broken bus were boarded and sent towards their destination. However, not all passengers could get the bus immediately, due to which many people had to wait for a long time on the roadside.
Students, elderly people and women were most troubled by this incident. Many passengers said that they had to stand on the roadside for a long time in the scorching sun and hot weather. Passengers who had to reach their destination on time, also had to complete their journey with considerable delay.
After this incident, passengers expressed displeasure over the condition of government buses and their maintenance. He said that many buses of the State Transport Corporation are very old and they are not maintained regularly. For this reason, incidents of buses breaking down mid-way keep coming to light.
Passengers alleged that despite complaining several times, old and dilapidated vehicles were being driven on the roads. He says that if technical inspection and repair of buses is done from time to time, such incidents can be avoided and passengers will not have to face unnecessary trouble.
Local people also said that a large number of people depend on public transport. In such a situation, it is the responsibility of the transport department to ensure regular servicing and fitness check of buses. If buses keep breaking down mid-way, passengers may lose confidence in the public transport system.
Although there is no report of injury to any passenger or any major accident in this incident, a possible accident was averted due to timely breakdown of the bus. If this technical glitch had occurred on a busy highway or a high-speed stretch, the situation could have been more serious.
Passengers have demanded from the transport department that old vehicles should be repaired on time and their technical inspection should be done regularly. Also, the buses whose condition is very bad should be removed in a phased manner and new and modern buses should be included in the service, so that the passengers can get the facility of safe, comfortable and timely travel.
At present, the reasons for the technical fault in the bus are being investigated by the Transport Department. Officials say that necessary steps will be taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future and special attention will be paid to the maintenance of buses.
