Disorderly situation around Egmore Railway Station 

Disorderly situation prevailing near Egmore Railway Station.
| Photo Credit: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM

You would think getting into a major port of entry/exit will be easy, but at Chennai Egmore Railway Station, the situation is just the opposite. Commuters find it difficult to access the main entrance of the iconic Chennai Egmore Railway Station during peak hours, due to the disorderly situation prevailing on the road opposite to the station. It is chock-a block situation in the early morning hours – between 3 am and 7 am and from 3 pm to late night. 

Whannels Road near Egmore railway station which was named as Anna EVR Maniammaiyar, now has a filthy pavement where many broken liquor bottles are strewn liberally, so becomes very difficult for pedestrians to use. Further down, if you walk on the Gandhi- Irwin Road from east to west, at least two dozen biryani and other eateries have encroached on the space, displaying sign boards, and their kitchens located literally on the pavement. There are many street vendors who also display their shops blocking pathways which are already uneven and broken in many places. To add more woes of pedestrians/ commuters, the proper restaurants utilise it for their customers to park their vehicles leaving no space for pedestrians to walk freely.

Things are worse on the pavement near Tamil Nadu State Archives with the unhygienic  eateries and open kitchens on the pavement. The opposite side is the place for open defecation. The paid parking is located far away from the station where only four or five cars can be parked, as it a number of two-wheelers. 

Though the Corporation had widened footpaths, redesigned road junctions, and created pedestrian facilities, haphazard parking of vehicles along the stretch on the road adds to the chaos. Owing to the lack of a pedestrian crossing, commuters find it difficult to cross the road and reach the station located on the other side. 

Marudhamuthu, a regular traveller to Tiruchi said, “ This problem persists in the morning and at night. This is because large private buses stop at the entry point of the station blocking the road- they occupy half the road and on the other side auto drivers choke the road – outside the station and on the opposite side.” 

“During the early mornings and late nights, private buses that travel along Gandhi Irwin Road often cause traffic congestion. Some buses even stop to pick up or drop off passengers, leading to significant inconvenience for commuters. The other big problem here is the auto drivers. Auto drivers park their vehicles on either side of the roads blocking the route for private vehicles during peak hours. Sometimes the we just end up waiting for a long while in the traffic jam caused by them,” said Rathika, who frequents the area. 

Most of the time buses are not parked in the marked bays at the bus stand. When a bus is parked in the middle of the road for boarding passengers, at least 50 vehicles are piling behind.  Getting access into the station by call taxis or personal cars in pick-up and drop points is another ordeal. The space is so small that it can accommodate only 10 cars at a time and the drivers of such vehicles are often abused by auto drivers who are canvassing for customers inside the station premises.

One of the major causes for the confusion on this stretch is because the prepaid auto system went dysfunctional years ago. There is only one authorised auto stand functioning inside the station premises after getting licence from the railways.  A.Sekar, Hindu Mazdoor Sabha Auto Drivers union said, “ We are the only authorised union to park autos inside the premises where we are allotted 1325 square feet space and 25 autos can park. But so many auto stands have cropped unauthorisedly and canvas agressively among the passengers looking for a ride. In fact, we have repeatedly lodged complaints with the police against these unregistered auto drivers.” 

K.P.Sabastian, Commander/ Inspector of Railway Protection Force said, “ We are constantly conducting drives and booking cases on the auto drivers who come inside our premises and harass customers. We are also monitoring and preventing any violations. Things will be better once redevelopment of the railway station is over.”