Strained bus service to reach Karainagar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 October 1997, 23:59 GMT]
Repair work on the Ponnalai causeway which links the western edge of the Jaffna peninsula to the Karainagar island is nearing completion, allowing people to travel by bus.

The bus service which now goes only up to Chulipuram will be extended to Karainagar once the work on the causeway is completed by the end of this month said a senior official of the northern region transport board (NRTB).

The people of Karainagar currently undergo immense hardships to travel to and from Jaffna due the damaged causeway and strictures imposed by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Meanwhile the NRTB's main depot at Kondavil requires at least forty extra buses to meet the current demand said the same official.

As several routes have been opened for traffic within the peninsula the number of people traveling by bus has increased significantly recently.

The depot has to send out three buses every day, to take people who are leaving Jaffna by air and by sea.

In addition to this, buses are regularly confiscated by the Sri Lankan army for its own use. And some buses totally unserviceable due to a lack of spare parts and inadequate repair facilities.

Private bus operators are cashing in on the situation by stuffing hapless passengers into dilapidated vans and mini buses.