Residents demand that all buses stop at Kannamangalam town

Only one government town bus service is being operated between Kannamangalam town and Polur

Frustrated with the lack of public transport, commuters are demanding that all buses operated by the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) stop at the bus terminus at Gandhi Nagar in Kannamangalam, a Town Panchayat on the Vellore - Tiruvannamalai Main Road. Currently, only one government town bus service is being operated between Kannamangalam town and Polur in Tiruvannamalai district. Private buses do not stop at the bus terminus in the town. As a result, commuters, including students, women and senior citizens, have to depend on a lone town bus service to reach Vellore, Katpadi, Polur, Arcot and Walajah. “The town bus is overcrowded, and students, women and senior citizens find it difficult to board the bus during rush hour. We need all buses, including private ones, to halt at the major bus stops in the town,” said K. Sekar, a commuter from Kannamangalam. Residents got agitated after a student fell from a crowded TNSTC bus near the Gandhi Nagar junction in Kannamangalam a few days ago. Commuters blocked the Vellore - Tiruvannamalai Main Road to highlight their plight. Revenue and transport officials and the police pacified them. However, the crowd dispersed only after getting a written assurance from K. Srinivasan, Manager, TNSTC, that all buses will halt in the town, including at the bus terminus.  Kannamangalam is a border town connecting three districts. Despite many buses plying on the route, they do not halt at key bus stops and the terminus in the town. As a result, many residents depend on two-wheelers to get to work, schools and hospitals.    With the reopening of schools and colleges due to the easing of lockdown restrictions, students form a major portion of commuters in the town. Apart from Kannamangalam town, neighbouring villages like Periyaayyampalayam, Chinnaayyampalayam, Somanthangal, Ekambaranallur, Santhavasal and Than Malaipattu depend on bus services to Kannamangalam to reach Vellore. In fact, the Government Medical College Hospital in Adukkamparai near Vellore is close to Kannamangalam. As a result, many out-patients and their relatives from the town depend on bus services to reach the government hospital.