For more than a week now, the MTC bus stop on Arcot Road in Vadapalani, near the stretch leading to the Murugan temple, is under CCTV surveillance.
Though this measure, aimed at checking chain-snatching and other acts of crime on the almost-always crowded stretch leading to the temple, is salutary, it has not evoked an entirely positive response from commuters.
They are more focussed on what is lacking at the bus stop — and this includes a shelter and proper seating arrangement.
“A surveillance system is essential, but a shelter is equally important at a bus stop,” says S. Rajalakshmi, a commuter from Vadapalani. This is quite a busy bus stop: All ordinary and luxury buses originating at Vadapalani, Iyyapanthangal, Kundrathur, Poonamallee and K.K. Nagar depots halt here. Considering this fact, it is odd that the stop does not have a signboard.
Besides the Vadapalani bus terminus, the Ram Theatre bus stop is the next bus stop that is nearest to Murugan temple. These bus stops have shelters. However, each of these two locations — Vadapalani terminus and Ram Theatre bus stop — is nearly a kilometre from the Murugan temple bus stop. One of the two cameras faces Arcot Road. The other one is directed at the temple.
Both the cameras can capture images up to a distance of 500 metres. The surveillance system comes under the control of the Vadapalani traffic police.
Besides helping law and order police keep a eye on visitors to the temple with the objective of preventing crime, the two CCTV cameras are meant to help the traffic police oversee traffic movement on Arcot Road, around the Vadapalani market, and study the impact of the traffic arrangement that came into effect a month ago.
