Free bus rides to Javvadhu hills for women

The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) will soon provide free bus rides for women in the Javvadhu Hills of Tiruvannamalai district, starting from the end of August. 
This initiative, aimed at improving accessibility and support for tribal women, was announced by Transport Minister SS Sivasankar during a function in Tiruvannamalai, where he flagged off 32 new buses, including 26 mofussil buses, at a cost of ₹12.18 crores. 
The free bus service is set to coincide with the Kodai-Vizha festival in the hills.
The introduction of this service fulfils a long-standing demand of the women in the region, who can now use the buses to travel from the hills to the plains without incurring travel expenses.
This will significantly benefit tribal women, allowing them to sell farm produce in the markets on the plains and visit their children studying in hostels more frequently.
Currently, four bus services operate to the Javvadhu Hills daily, with only one route (Polur-Vellore through Jamunamarathur) originating from the Polur depot at the foothills. 
The remaining services are run from Tiruvannamalai town, 80 kilometres away. The TNSTC has previously limited free bus rides for women to a distance of 35 kilometres, but this restriction will be relaxed for the new service, allowing women to travel the 47 kilometres between Polur and Jamunamarathur.
The event was attended by key officials, including District Collector D Bhaskara Pandian, Members of Parliament CN Annadurai and MS Dharaniventhan, and several Assembly Members. 
TNSTC officials highlighted that this initiative is part of a broader effort to extend free bus services to hill regions, following a budget announcement by Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu earlier this year.