Autos fleece passengers Rs 500 for 3.5 km as EMU cancellation leaves commuters stranded
Some of them preferred autos, but complained that they were fleeced by the auto men who charged many times more than the usual fare
Online Desk
Tambaram bus stand
CHENNAI: Hundreds of people are spending a chaotic and harrowing day in the hot sun after the cancellation of EMU services between Chennai Beach and Tambaram stations left them stranded and at the mercy of fleecing auto-rickshaw drivers, on March 9.
A large number of people struggled to get on the few additional services operated by the MTC. Some of them preferred autos, but complained that they were fleeced by the auto men who charged many times more than the usual fare.
The EMU train services were suspended from 5.10 am to 4 pm today due to maintenance work and commissioning of the fourth railway line between Chennai Beach and Chennai Egmore.
To manage the situation, special trains were announced from Kodambakkam-Tambaram-Kodambakkam for specific hours and additional MTC bus services were deployed from Tambaram to Broadway, T Nagar, and Guindy.
As today is an auspicious day, a holiday, and with the upcoming Ramzan festival, the commuters footfall at Tambaram bus stand has increased. Also, people coming from other places via Tambaram railway station had to rely on buses operated from Tambaram bus stand due to the cancellation of local train services. Many commuters had to stand in the blistering heat for a long time despite the deployment of special buses.
Amid the commuters chaos, auto drivers hiked fares significantly, charging more than usual fares from passengers. The usual share auto fare from Tambaram to Chromepet is Rs 20, which was doubled to Rs 40 - Rs 50 today. Auto-rickshaws charged sky-high fares, demanding Rs 400 to Rs 500 for a short trip of only 3.5 km.
Meanwhile, special train services between Tambaram to Kodambakkam witnessed a surge in passenger rush.