Madurai Reader’s Mail

Need affordable alternative

While share autorickshaws operate in most parts of Madurai, they are conspicuously absent on the Oomachikulam–Iyer Bungalow–Narayanapuram–Aathikulam–Outpost stretch. It is alleged that minibus operators have been preventing share autorickshaw services on the route by exerting influence on the transport authorities.

As a result, commuters, particularly students, office-goers and senior citizens, are forced to depend on overcrowded minibuses. The authorities should remove any hurdles and allow share autorickshaw operators on the route, providing commuters with an affordable alternative. Such healthy competition would benefit the travelling public.

Vaithianathan Subramanian,

Narayanapuram.

Lack of facilities at temple

The Kumbabhishekam of the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple was performed recently, and the temple has since been witnessing large crowds of devotees and tourists from across the country. Long queues for both paid and free darshan often extend for several hours.

However, lack of adequate seating facilities force devotees to stand for prolonged periods. There is also no separate fast-track queue for senior citizens, pregnant women and children.

The absence of emergency restroom facilities near the queues and the poor maintenance of restrooms outside the temple add to inconvenience.

The space provided for leaving footwear is also inadequate, while the deployment of staff appears insufficient to manage the crowds effectively. The authorities should address these issues at the earliest in the interest of devotees.

T.R. Pratap Chandran,

Villapuram.

Ease restrictions

During Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s visit to Madurai on September 28, normal life was reportedly disrupted as police barricades were placed along several main roads. This caused inconvenience to residents, including those seeking medical treatment at clinics.

It was also reported that at least 10 people fainted while waiting to catch a glimpse of the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister should ensure that adequate arrangements are made during future visits to major cities so that the public is not put to unnecessary hardship.

M. Selvaraj,

Kuruvikaran Salai.

Autorickshaw meters

Recently the Tamil Nadu government announced that meters for autorickshaws would be in place soon. It is a good news for both the users and the autorickshaw drivers. It should be implemented and also the fares should be displayed in railway stations and bus stands so that visitors would know the metered fare.

Sai Venkatesh,

TVS Nagar.