Chennai: Government buses, plying towards districts affected by cyclone Gaja , were found collecting luggage fare for relief material at Koyambedu Bus Terminus in Chennai.Though bus services to interior areas in Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Pudukottai are yet to resume in full swing, buses connecting Chennai to the district headquarters have started plying. Most of these buses are operated by State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) at 30-40 minutes intervals in the evenings.While relief materials, released by the state government, are yet to reach many villages in the cyclone affected districts, individuals, private organisations and NGOs have stepped in expressing support.A John, one such volunteer, said, “A SETC bus plying towards Kumbakonam via Mayiladuthurai refused to board boxes filled with milk powder, water bottles and bread for affected people without paying them luggage fare.”Luggage fare is calculated based on the weight of the box to be transported and in this case it amounts to one-way fare collected for a passenger travelling in the bus.R Ramamoorthy, a Puducherry Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) staff, confirmed that luggage fare was demanded by state government buses plying along East Coast Road to the said districts.Responding to this, a senior official from SETC said they received complaints and instruction was given to conductors not to charge luggage fare for relief materials. However, the situation was no different till late Sunday evening. “The instruction might have not reached the bus crew. It will be implemented strictly from Monday,” the official added.Amidst all this confusion, private omni buses have opened their doors to volunteers for free. A Afzal, managing director of Parveen Travels and president of Tamil Nadu Omni Bus Owners Association, said, “There has been an increase in number of volunteers approaching us from Saturday and we expect more calls from Monday as they would get a clear picture then.” Speaking to reporters on Sunday, MR Vijayabaskar, state transport minister, said the damage was more in Kumbakonam and Kodaikanal. “Services have been partially halted in some areas as fallen trees are yet to be removed completely,” he added.

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