Residents pitch for improved transport infra, new bus routes

Social media posts by residents’ associations in the past few days have pointed to an increasing demand for improving bus transport infrastructure and introduction of new bus routes on roads under the Chennai Corporation, the Highways Department, and the National Highways Authority of India. This summer, residents have demanded improvement to the Corporation bus shelters, better maintenance of bus route roads, and an increased number of buses for better connectivity in the Corporation and in the Chennai Metropolitan Area.

Problems at shelters

Harsha Koda, co-founder, Federation of OMR Residents Associations (FOMRRA), says residents have started an initiative to find out the problems at bus shelters created by the Corporation. “Earlier this month, I had a chat with Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) MD Prabhu Shankar. Since then, FOMRRA has constituted a core group of 10 volunteers who are compiling a comprehensive report of things “as they are” and a “connectivity wish-list”. Inputs from over 200 associations affiliated to FOMRRA would go into the report, which is to be presented to the MTC. In the next week, our team will meet the MTC to submit the report,” he said.

Corporation councillor S. Jeevan said residents of north Chennai had been complaining to councillors about solid waste dumping, sewage overflow, growth of vegetation, and safety and security at the Kannadasan Nagar bus terminus. “Many months ago, Corporation officials visited the terminus, removed the waste, cleared the overgrowth, and resolved the problem in drainage with support from Metro Water. I told the manager of the terminus that the Chennai Corporation was not responsible for the work but we came because of complaints from residents. Now, the CMDA has started modernisation of the bus terminus. During the nights, safety of women was another major concern in the terminus. Whenever there was water stagnation, the Corporation had addressed it. Residents expect improvement before the election. The new bus terminus should be constructed in such a way that all the civic issues are resolved,” he said.

On Sunday, north Chennai resident Jai Ganesh of Muttamizh Nagar shared on a residents’ WhatsApp group the problems faced by the locals because of lack of bus connectivity between Kodungaiyur and areas like Thiruvanmiyur. “Residents need proper bus shelters, bus terminus, and new mini-bus routes to improve connectivity with Perambur,” he said.

K. Nammazhvar of Tanikachalam Nagar Welfare Association, said senior citizens were put to hardship owing to lack of direct bus connectivity between Tiruvottiyur and Perambur. Arivazhagan of MKB Nagar stressed the need for direct bus link between Kilambakkam in south Chennai and MKB Nagar in north Chennai.

‘Better coordination needed’

K. Shanmugham, president of the Federation of North Chennai Residents’ Welfare Associations, said all the civic agencies such as the Chennai Corporation, the MTC, the CMDA, and the Highways Department should better their coordination to promote bus connectivity. “We find that the State government is planning to introduce private mini-buses. But the private mini-buses will focus only on profits. The government has to introduce mini-buses on routes that the private operators refuse to operate. The Chennai Corporation should redesign and strengthen interior roads to facilitate the mini-bus operation. Better roads and well-designed bus shelters from the Chennai Corporation, a modern terminus from the CMDA, and additional buses from the MTC are the need of the hour,” he said.

Geetha Ganesh, secretary of AGS Colony Residents’ Welfare Association, Velachery West, said: “We lost a fleet of new buses since the roadside trees were not pruned by the Chennai Corporation’s Parks Department and the inspection team from the MTC concluded that the buses would get damaged by hanging and protruding branches.”

“We have been seeking more bus routes, especially small bus routes, to the Alandur Metro Rail Station, but nothing has been proposed by the MTC. The 9M service to Broadway was introduced a few years ago and the fleet was not increased. But the number of trip it makes a day is two or three, and fewer still at weekends,” she said.

Residents of south Chennai have sent representation to Chief Secretary N. Muruganantham, the Transport Secretary and MTC officials demanding the following routes: AGS Colony to Thiruvanmiyur bus stand through Taramani, NIFT (mini-bus); AGS Colony to Thiruvallikeni through Mylapore (main bus); AGS Colony to Anna Nagar through Ekatuthangal, Vadapalani, and Koyambedu (main bus); AGS Colony to Tambaram bus stand though Adambakkam and Alandur through MRTS (mini-bus); AGS Colony to Broadway through Anna Salai (main bus); AGS Colony to Madipakkam Kootu Road (mini-bus); AGS Colony to Airport through Nanganallur (mini-bus); AGS Colony to Pallikaranai through MRTS IRR (mini-bus); AGS Colony to the Besant Nagar bus depot through Tidel Park, Madhya Kailash, Adyar, and Shastri Nagar (mini-bus or main bus).

Lack of adequate investment

K. Kumar, former Chief Planner of the CMDA and visiting faculty member, Department of Planning, SAP, Anna University, said: “Despite the essence of Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) being moving people rather than vehicles, the same is scarcely embedded in the urban transportation infrastructure investment plan or policy of Chennai or many other Indian cities. The glaring example is the omission of adequate investment in the urban bus.”

A city that cries for a minimum fleet strength of 12,400 buses by the national bus-population norm was struggling to move commuters with just under the same 3,300 buses for a decade or more with a good share of it not roadworthy to say the least. That despite a raft of feasibility studies for implementing the bus rapid transit system along arterial roads, carried out with taxpayers’ money in the past 10 years, the government lacked the will to implement any of them, he said.