The Tamil Nadu government is set to flag off 300 new buses under state transport corporations, with Chief Minister Vijay scheduled to inaugurate the services in Chennai on Wednesday.
According to the report, the tender to procure the buses was issued during the previous administration. The buses were manufactured and handed over to the transport corporations last month after the work was completed.
The 300 buses have been allotted to state transport corporations such as Villupuram and Kumbakonam, excluding the Metropolitan Transport Corporation and the State Express Transport Corporation. Although the inauguration was planned in Chennai, the date was not finalised.
Even so, all 300 buses were brought to Chennai on June 22 and parked at two locations—120 at Koyambedu and 180 at Kilambakkam. Drivers and conductors who drove the buses from other districts—around 600 staff—have been waiting in Chennai for the past two days, as they have been instructed to take the buses back only after the event.
Employees said that earlier inaugurations typically required only a limited number of buses for the flag-off, and questioned the need to bring the entire fleet to Chennai.
