Demanding regular operation of buses to their villages, a group of students staged dharna on the District Collectorate premises at Kokkirakulam here on Tuesday. The protesting students said pupils from Sivanthipatti, Muththur, Kodikkulam and the surrounding hamlets suffer a lot in reaching their schools in Palayamkottai and Tirunelveli on time due to non-availability of buses in the morning.
While the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation had withdrawn most of their buses operated to these villages to divert it in some other routes, the limited number of private buses being operated to their hamlets was heavily crowded, particularly during morning and evening. Consequently, the students had to resort to footboard travelling or sit on the roof to reach the schools.
“When we submitted a petition to the officials of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, they replied that they could not operate buses to our villages as the connecting roads are in worst shape. Hence, the poor villagers, particularly the students, have to wait for the crowded private buses,” said one Muthukumar, one of the protesting students.
Another group of students from a primary school at Vannikonendal submitted a petition in the Collector’s office seeking repair of badly damaged road leading to their school from the Sankarankovil highway.
