Coimbatore saw a surge in outbound travel ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly election, as voters planned to return to their hometowns to cast their ballots. The state government has declared a public holiday to enable voting.
From Tuesday evening, people living in Coimbatore and belonging to other districts began leaving by trains, government and private buses, and personal vehicles. The rush led to heavy crowds at railway stations and bus terminals.
At the Singanallur bus stand, passengers bound for southern districts gathered in large numbers from the evening onward. With the crowding intensifying, many tried to board buses in a hurry.
However, commuters alleged that the State Transport Corporation had not arranged enough services, leaving hundreds waiting until around 10 pm. The situation escalated into arguments with transport staff.
The matter was brought to the Collector’s attention, following which officials were instructed to operate additional buses. Extra services were subsequently brought in from various depots and deployed.
