M.G.R. Bus Stand at Mattuthavani is the largest integrated bus stand in the city. But inadequate facilities leave passengers and bus operators fuming.
Built in 1999, this is the central bus stand that caters to passengers bound for destinations in the east, south and north. It has 8 platforms with 12 bus bays in each and sees one lakh footfalls every day. But passengers feel that facilities have dipped with time.
Unavailability of safe drinking water torments users of the bus stand. An RO treatment plant for providing drinking water remains defunct. “Currently, the Corporation supplies water to three tanks at the bus stand. However, the restaurants and eateries consume the entire water. So we are forced to buy packaged drinking water,” says R. Vairamani, a flower seller.
There are two pay-and-use toilets, functioning for both men and women. But, the toilet facilities are insufficient, says G. Kannan, a bus conductor.“There are no separate toilets for bus crew. During rush hours, it becomes difficult for us to hurry back to the bus after waiting for hours to use the common toilet facility,” adds Mr. Kannan.
A special woman-friendly toilet with a sanitary napkin vending machine remains locked, says B. Gomathi, a flower vendor.
The bus stand also lacks medical facilities. A dispensary, run by the Corporation, is not functional after 5 p.m. “There is only one medical shop inside the bus stand which opens only after 11 a.m. There is no respite for passengers who are in dire need of medicines at night,” says G. Vadivel, who works at the police assistance booth.
A Childline booth at the bus stand, meant to receive complains of children missing or in distress, is under lock and key. The booth was inaugurated in 2015, but the billboard elaborating the procedure to register a complaint lies behind a huge layer of dust.
A stench of urine permeates the breastfeeding shelter. The door creaks and the ceiling fan is barely functional. The toilet is poorly maintained and the room poorly lit. The shelters are hardly used by women, says G. Gomathi, a fruit vendor. “Most of the women are unaware of the existence of the shelter,” she adds.
Bus crew grumble that their resting room is poorly maintained. “The doors are fragile and may break any time. The fan is not working and there are no sleeping mats. During rainy season, a swarm of mosquitoes attacks us,” says a bus driver.
The bus stand is plagued with poor lighting, says the bus driver. “There are no street lights near platforms 6 and 7. The bus stand becomes unsafe for passengers boarding late night buses,” he adds. There is a need to have high mast lights to make the bus stand bright.
Passengers complain of a steep rise in instances of theft and pickpocketing. Mr. Vadivel says that 17 of the 36 CCTV cameras are under repair. “The security level has worsened as we are not able to continuously monitor the entire bus stand. We have complained to the Corporation, but it has not paid heed to our problems,” he adds.
P. Sundar, Sub-Inspector monitoring the bus stand, says that passengers have to be cautious to keep their luggage and goods safe.
The other main area of concern is the encroachment of platforms by food stalls. These shops, selling sweetmeats, confectionery and snacks, have glass shelves displaying their products outside the shops. These shelves encroach up to three feet of the platform.
A senior engineer from the Corporation says that installation of two additional RO treatment plants will commence shortly. Corporation Commissioner S. Visakan assures that steps will be taken immediately to redress the problems in Mattuthavani bus stand.
