TN govt to operate intra-district buses with 50% seating from May 18

With the third phase of lockdown set to end on May 17, the Tamil Nadu government has directed that all government offices in the state should function with 50 per cent attendance. The government also plans to operate a few buses within districts with 50 per cent seating capacity. However, these restrictions will be in place until May 31.

According to an order issued by Chief Secretary K Shanmugam on Friday (May 15), government employees will be divided into two batches. The first batch will work the full day for the first two days of the week and the second will work for the next two days.

In order to compensate for the non-working days during the lockdown, the state government has decided to have six working days a week, while Sunday will be a holiday. Though the state had assured that enough transportation would be for employees, there has been no official word about the public transportation.

However, sources in the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) told The Federal that they would be operating minimum buses at less frequency with 50 per cent its capacity from May 18. But the corporation has asked the concerned bus depots to decide on the number of buses to be operated.

Related News: Sudden spike in cases in TN’s Tiruvallur: Newly-formed market a reason?

“Since it’s been more than 50 days since the buses ran, we were asked to check the condition of the buses and make it ready for operation,” said a TNSTC official.

On the other hand, the Tamil Nadu government is firm in conducting the Class 10 board exams, despite resistance from opposition parties and teachers. According to sources, the state is set to conduct the exams in respective schools with 10 students in each hall.

On May 15, after the Supreme Court stayed the Madras High Court’s temporary stay on the sale of liquor in the state-run TASMAC shops, the government has reportedly planned to open the shops from Saturday(May 16).

According to sources in Tasmac, the government has planned to issue 500 tokens a day to customers. However, the state is yet to come out with an official order in this regard.