A bus driver who uploaded a video lamenting the poor conditions of the buses run by Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) was handed a suspension order on Monday, 8 October.
Vijayakumar, who has been working as a TNSTC bus driver for the past 12 years, had recorded a video where he complained that the shutter attached to the window next to him does not cover it completely, thus leading to rainwater drenching him every time it rains.
He is seen saying in the video that he had driven from Trichy to Palani while it was raining, and rainwater seeping in through the window caused him discomfort while driving.
The video, allegedly shot on 4 October by one of Vijayakumar’s friends, went viral on social media.
The suspension order, signed by the General Manager of TNSTC (Palani), says that since the offence committed by him is serious, he is suspended from 8 October, until the time of the investigation.
Speaking to TNM, Vijayakumar said that his multiple complaints over the years regarding the maintenance of the buses did not bear fruit, and hence he recorded a video to express his concern.
This is not the first time he has been wronged, he shared. Four years ago, TNSTC had held back his increment when he had told his senior officer that he will not operate a bus because it was not maintained properly.
Vijayakumar narrated an accident that took place near Palani a week ago, where the bus he was driving hit a two-wheeler after the brakes did not work properly. The rider of the two-wheeler escaped with minor injuries since Vijayakumar managed to stop the bus in time.
“The brake in that bus worked only in one wheel of the bus instead of all four wheels. Had the brakes worked in all the four wheels of the bus, I could have even avoided hitting the guy who came in front of my bus,” he said.
Vijayakumar shared that the officer who came to the Chatrapatti police station to check on him ended up blaming him for the accident and he told him that he did his best with the bus.
Multiple attempts by TNM to contact the officials at TNSTC were unsuccessful.
(Published in an arrangement with The News Minute)
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