https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

After 30 Years, a Bus Reaches This Village

The issue was hanging unresolved in a Tamil Nadu village for the last three decades, and it found a solution within three days of IAS officer Prabhushankar T Gunalan sizing up the matter.
Indian Masterminds Stories

It would be quite astonishing to know something as basic as a bus service could not reach this village in Tamil Nadu for the 30 long years. But in the end, it took the District Collector Karur, Mr Prabhushankar T Gunalan, to take a snap decision and end the agonizing long wait for the bus.

In an exclusive interview with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Prabhushankar, who stepped in as the District Collector of Karur a month back, explained how he fulfilled the peoples’ decades old wish in just three days after acknowledging the issue.

REMOTE LOCATION

Karuppampalayam village falls on the banks of Amravati, which is a tributary of river Cauvery. To access the Karur town, one has to cross the river from Karuppampalayam village. Mr. Prabhushankar said, “As there is no bridge to cross the river, people had to travel around 10 kms to reach the town. For the last 30 years, the bus would stop 2-3 kms away from the village and the villagers had to walk down all the way to catch the bus.”

“Apart from this,” he added, “a check dam was built right next to this village. People of the village had found a short cut through which they can access the town but it is only accessible during the lean months when the river dries up.”

As Prabhushankar got posted as the DC of Karur last month, he was unaware of this problem which the villagers were facing for three decades.

ACKNOWLEDGING THE ISSUE

It was just a coincidence that the officer scheduled a routine inspection to Karuppampalayam village on 15 July this year. The purpose of inspection was to take stock of some rural development work in the village. However, it turned out to be the right time for the villagers to address the issue before the IAS officer.

Mr. Prabhushankar said, “No sooner did I reach the village that a group of villagers surrounded my vehicle and asked to stop it. On asking them why they stopped the car, they starting addressing their three-decade-long issue of not having access to bus service in the village. The issue was a big concern for them as it was creating inconvenience to reach the nearby town of Karur.”

Knowing the issue

He added, “It was a very unbelievable thing that the issue, which could have been solved easily, was prevailing for such a long time. This was absolutely an outlier as Tamil Nadu as a state has a very fine infrastructure in terms of both road connectivity and road transport.”

QUICK REDRESSAL

After sizing the situation, the officer immediately contacted the general manager of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC). Mr. Prabhushankar said, “I instructed him that the issue needs to be sorted out immediately and it took not more than three days to fulfill the three decade-long need of the people.”

By July 19, the Karur district administration, with support of the TNSTC launched two bus services – on morning and evening – to ply to the village.“The morning bus reaches the village at 9:15 am while the evening bus comes at 6 pm,” says the DC.

The villagers were astonished to see a bus in their vicinity after 30 years, and a wave of joy spread across to them. Mr Prabhushankar said, “This small step by the administration will help the villagers in a big way as school going children, working class and people seeking health facilities will easily commute from now onwards. Apart from this, women will be able to travel free of cost under the free bus pass scheme for women launched by the Tamil Nadu government.”

Well done, Mr. Prabhushankar


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
NALCO
NALCO Refutes Reports of Capex Deferral, Confirms Rs 30,000 Crore Smelter Expansion is on Track - Know the Matter
Northern-Coalfields-Limited-NCL-Resized
NCL Signs MoU to Support Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities in Singrauli - All Details Inside
Ruchika Chauhan IAS
Leading By Example: Gwalior DC Ruchika Chauhan Arrives At Her Office Boarding An E-Rickshaw! Delivers A Strong Message On World Environment Day
KVIC Khadi and Village Industries
KVIC Disburses Rs. 300 Crore Margin Money Subsidy Under PMEGP to Boost Self-Employment - Details Inside
HUDCO New Logo
HUDCO Champions Green Urban Development on World Environment Day 2025
Mayur Dixit IAS
Who is IAS Mayur Dixit, the New DM of Haridwar? Uttarakhand Bureaucracy in Buzz Amid Land Scam Fallout
Prime Minister’s Museum & Library, Delhi1
IRSME Ashwani Lohani Appointed Director of Prime Minister’s Museum & Library, Delhi - Know More About Him & the Historic Institution
World Environment Day
PSUs Observe World Environment Day 2025 with Strong Commitment to Sustainability and Green Practices - Check Here!
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
Monika Singh’s Life Beyond the Bureaucracy | Video Interview 
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
Modernising Governance: A Digital Transformation in Gangtok
IMG-20250523-WA0036
Abhishek Singh's SECRET: Vipassana, Anthropology & Smart Answer Writing | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Divyanshu Pal Nagar IFS
5 Years, 5 Mains, 4 Interviews: How Divyanshu Pal Nagar Stumbled in CSE, Triumphed in IFS - A Lesson for Every Aspirant
Divyanshu Pal Nagar’s inspiring five-year UPSC journey shows how perseverance, disciplined self-study,...
ANUBHAV SINGH UPSC IFS 2024
9 Years, 8 Attempts, 7 Failures: How Anubhav Singh Cracked UPSC IFS 2024 with AIR 3 Against All Odds | Exclusive
Anubhav Singh’s inspiring journey to UPSC IFS Rank 3 showcases relentless perseverance, strategic preparation,...
Jogender Sihag
“I Cleared UPSC, But My Grandfather isn’t Here to Hear it,” Jogender Sihag, AIR 521, UPSC CSE 2024
"Life is short; make the most of it, whether in civil service or any other field. Just have a clear vision...
Social Media
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
shubham kumar ias marriage
IAS Topper Weds BPSC Topper: Shubham Kumar Marries IRS Officer Priyangi Mehta in Patna; Wedding Video Goes Viral
Topper Couple Alert: Shubham Kumar, Priyangi Mehta’s Wedding Grabs Spotlight in Bihar
parveen kaswan elephant
Elephant Outsmarts Electric Fence! IFS Parveen Kaswan Shares Incredible Video!
In the now-viral 51-second clip, the intelligent giant approaches a wooden pole supporting high-voltage...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
NALCO
NALCO Refutes Reports of Capex Deferral, Confirms Rs 30,000 Crore Smelter Expansion is on Track - Know the Matter
Northern-Coalfields-Limited-NCL-Resized
NCL Signs MoU to Support Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities in Singrauli - All Details Inside
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
IMG-20250523-WA0036
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT