TN omni bus operators suspend services after Kerala imposes hefty fine

The All Omni Bus Owners Association on Saturday announced suspension of daily services to neighbouring Kerala following the imposition of hefty fines by that state.

The decision to withdraw the service from November 7 night is likely to affect hundreds of people, including the Ayyappa devotees who would undertake pilgrimage to Sabarimala in the coming weeks.

The Kerala Transport Department imposed fines totalling Rs 70 lakhs for alleged permit violations and had detained over 30 buses, the association claimed.

''Buses from Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and other places were imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh per bus. The Kerala Transport Department resorted to the sudden imposition of the fine on November 7, resulting in hardship to our passengers and to us too,'' the association president A Anbalagan said in a statement.

The sudden action left the passengers in the lurch, he said and claimed that the bookings of 150 buses were cancelled.

He urged the Tamil Nadu government to immediately intervene and amicably resolve the issue.