Nearly seven years after the bus terminus in Pattabiram was inaugurated, it has no basic amenities and does not even have enough bus services for the population it serves.
The terminus, established after a long struggle by residents, is located along Chennai Tiruvallur High Road. It is a vital transportation hub, as people from several villages including Pakkam, Palavedu and Vengal, board buses here to get to other parts of the city.
Residents of Pattabiram said the terminus does not even have a compound wall, much less seats for waiting commuters. In the night, commuters are forced to wait in the dark as there is no lighting.
As the timekeepers at the terminus work only for four hours in two shifts, commuters who arrive when they are not there, have no access to information about the number of services or their timings. A board displaying information about the services and their timings was essential, a resident said.
Pushpavalli Masilamani, a resident of Babu Nagar, said the terminus was poorly maintained and did not even have a drinking water facility. There were also not enough buses to areas in south Chennai, including Tambaram, Nanganallur and Pallikaranai, she said.
“There is no direct service to Porur or north Chennai either. The two morning trips made by bus no. 121E were cancelled recently. I take a bus from here and travel for four km to board another bus from Avadi,” she said.
Residents said they now have to travel up to Poonamallee and then take another bus to get to Porur.
They also alleged that several buses that operate the last-night service to Pattabiram were suspended at Avadi itself and do not complete the entire trip. Residents were left with little choice but to take autorickshaws that charge exorbitant fares in the night.
A source at Metropolitan Transport Corporation said nearly 160 trips were operated from the terminus on 45 routes, including to Sriperumbudur and T. Nagar. Some services had to be suspended due to poor patronage, the source said.
Officials of the Avadi municipality said work to build a compound wall and a toilet block would soon be taken up at a cost of Rs. 10 lakh. “We will also take steps to provide lighting and drinking water facilities,” said an official.
