Last week, when S. Ilakiya’s sister was to appear for an interview, she had just one prayer — to get a bus on time.
It was an hour and a half before her prayers were answered. “We depend on the bus terminus in Mullai Nagar which operates services to very few places — Vivekanandar Illam, T. Nagar and Koyambedu. Even those buses do not ply as per schedule. On most days, we wait for at least half an hour for a bus,” said the college student, a resident of Krishnamoorthy Nagar near MKB Nagar.
This is an everyday ordeal for residents of north Chennai. More than a year after these areas were brought under the Corporation of Chennai limit, little has changed in terms of public civic infrastructure. Often, residents are forced to go to adjoining areas for better bus connectivity.
“We don’t even have bus services to surrounding areas such as Ennore,” said another resident of Krishnamoorthy Nagar, adding that he often went to Kannadasan Nagar or MKB Nagar for more options.
A former resident of Ennore, A.P. Donald, said he had to shift to Royapuram to ensure better public transport connectivity for his daughters. “They work in schools in Santhome and travelling was a nightmare because there is no direct service from Ennore. After sunset, we could not rely on buses because they would get cancelled often,” he said.
Residents of Ayanavaram, too, said the MTC should improve services with restoration of discontinued bus routes like 26 (Villivakkam to T.Nagar via Konnur High Road and Medavakkam Road), 39 (Ambattur industrial estate to Hamilton bridge via Ayanavaram railway quarters) and 43 (Villivakkam to Mandaveli via Ayanavaram and Kellys).
S. Koteeswaran, a resident of Manali New Town, said though buses were operated to Egmore, Parrys’ Corner and Koyambedu from his neighbourhood, the frequency was poor. “Apart from more buses, we also need services to T. Nagar and Guindy via 100-feet Road,” he said.
The president of North Chennai District Exnora, K. Ramadoss, said besides improved frequency, there was also need for extension of some routes. “Frequency on routes 22 (Estate to Anna Memorial) and 20 (Villivakkam to Broadway) must be improved. Also, the authorities must consider extension of route 23 C up to ICF for the benefit of passengers including the student community,” he said.
