The residents of Ponniamman Koil Street in Madipakkam are disappointed with the frequency of bus services from this locality to the other parts of the city. At present, 18D plies on the stretch.
“Earlier, M11 plied from Madipakkam Bus Terminus to Saidapet via Ponniamman Koil Street (PKS). The route number has changed, so has the character of the route. The route number has been changed to 51M, and goes through Sabari Salai. Another bus 51R, which plies between Puzhuthivakkam and T. Nagar, used to travel through NGO Colony, Brindavan Nagar and Ponniamman Koil Street. The service has been stopped. Now, there is no direct bus service. We are forced to go to Madipakkam Bus Terminus to board a bus to T. Nagar,” say commuters.
It is the same situation, when it comes to 51C, which plies between Puzhuthivakkam and Tambaram, through St. Thomas Mount, Puzhuthivakkam Main Road and Ponniamman Koil Street. Adding to the problems, there is no mini bus service, say commuters.
The mini-bus S11, which plies between Guindy and Keezhkatalai, through Kathipara, Madipakkam, and Madipakkam Bus Terminus, should connect Ponniamman Koil Street, say commuters.
Lack of bus services has hit commuters who depend totally on public transport. Footboard travel and overcrowding In buses, especially during the peak hours, are common in Madipakkam, they added.
Moreover, a bus stop (old) at the junction of Madipakkam Koot Road and Ponniamman Koil Street, is used as an auto-stand. The junction is an accident-prone-zone.
Most of the commuters and auto drivers in the locality complain that route number V51 drives at a rash speed, especially during the rush hour.
Route number 51P (Puzhuthivakkam to Broadway) used to earlier run from Madipakkam to Broadway.
The commuters were of the view that service number 51P (Parrys to Puzhthivakkam) should be extended to Madipakkam bus stand. “People, who do not have their own modes of transport, suffer the most. To go to Broadway, commuters have to depend on 18D or go to St. Thomas Mount Railway Station, catch a train, and get down at Chennai Beach station. There is no bus to Mount Station. There is no proper bus connectivity towards Chennai Egmore, Chennai Central, Vadapalani, Ashok Nagar, and K.K. Nagar. The Metropolitan Transport Corporation should take steps to introduce more bus services to alleviate the woes of the hard-working commuters,” said S. Geetha Padmanabhan, a commuter.
Route Number D70 (Velachery Bus Terminus to Ambattur Industrial Estate) should be extended to Madipakkam. More buses should be operated towards Vadapalani, Saligramam, and Valasaravakkam. Countless letters and petitions have been sent to MTC in regard to commuters’ woes. Yet no action has been taken so far, she added.
The commuters demanded that 51H (Madipakkam Bus Terminus to T. Nagar) be extended to Ponniamman Koil Street. And that M14 (Medavakkam to NGO Colony) should go through Ponnniamman Koil Street and Puzthivakkam Bus Terminus.
