In March this year, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) introduced three mini bus services – route no. S6 (Tambaram East-Vengambakkam), route no. S7 (Pallavaram-Pammal VOC Nagar) and route no. S8 (Hasthinapuram-Tambaram West) – in this region.
The introduction of these mini bus services brought cheers to commuters in the area as they were dependent on autorickshaws to reach the nearest bus stops or railway stations.
In the same month, several commuters as well as representatives of a few resident welfare associations in Chitlapakkam submitted a memorandum to the MTC requesting for a change in route no. S8. They requested that it could be operated via Madras Institute of Technology flyover to Tambaram Sanatorium railway station. On its present route (Tambaram Sanatorium - Chitlapakkam flyover), it goes through Sanatorium to Ramakrishnapuram, Chitlapakkam Tank and Hasthinapuram.
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“With Madras Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) foot-over-bridge (FOB) now open to the public, vehicles coming from West Tambaram cannot take a right turn towards Tambaram Sanatorium flyover. It must be noted that earlier, vehicles used to take a right turn at the signal diagonally opposite MEPZ. The mini bus (S8) goes on MIT flyover, takes a ‘U’ turn and comes to Tambaram Sanatorium flyover to go to Hasthinapuram,” commuters said. The right turn from MEPZ to Sanatorium flyover is blocked.
The MTC can operate the mini-bus service through MIT flyover to Tambaram Sanatorium railway station and go through Sanatorium to Ramakrishnapuram, Chitlapakkam Tank and Hasthinapuram. Commuters said this could be done because commuters from GST Road would not depend on S8 to reach Hasthinapuram. There are lots of buses including 152B (Broadway-Hasthinapuram), 500A (Chengalpattu-Hasthinapuram) and 52B (Hasthinapuram-High Court), commuters pointed out.