When the last service of the day pulls into a designated space at the Mogappiar East bus terminus, the facility holds out an attraction for those looking for a quiet place to consume liquor — this is what commuters have to say about it.
With the work-day drawing to an close, the terminus is devoid of the staff whose presence had earlier served as a deterrent to these anti-social elements. Besides, the gates at the terminus are not locked, which enables these people to enter the facility without any hindrance, commuters point out.
Early-morning commuters get an idea of what had transpired at night. According to a few commuters, anyone who sets foot in the terminus in the early hours of the day will come upon empty liquor bottles, usually scattered around the steel seats. As a result of this, many women commuters choose to wait at the entrance of the bus terminus to board their buses.
“A compound wall of low height and inadequate lighting, especially at the unused area in the terminus, are reasons for the facility being misused,” says V. Ramani, a resident of Mogappair who has been using this bus terminus for a long time.
Opened in 1990, the 1.5-acre terminus operates 21 buses to places such as Thiruvanmiyur, T. Nagar, Parry's Corner and Anna Salai, every day.
In 2015, the bus terminus was renovated for the first time since its inception. As part of this exercise, the floor level at the terminus was raised to prevent flooding during monsoon.
After the last service of the day, the buses are parked along the bus bays opposite the time keeper’s office. Miscreants climb over the low-level compound wall, mainly on the rear section, to enter the terminus.
Interestingly, a decade-old police booth is located at the entrance of the bus terminus. Commuters say that the police booth remains locked most of the time. The few times it is open, it if for the reason that the police have to make entries in the book at the police booth, commuters add.
Traders and residents point out that there isn’t any regular patrolling by police patrol teams in the neighbourhood, especially around public facilities such as this bus terminus.
MTC officials say that maintaining such a huge facility with limited staff is a challenge and that they too are aware of the nuisance caused by some miscreants. Before the rush hour, a few sanitary staff of the civic body are requested to clean the terminus especially the seating area.
MTC officials say that such vacant space inside the terminus can be used for other public purposes such as having special counters to issue bus passes to students and senior citizens, facilitate mofussil bus ticket bookings and cargo bookings.
Commuters say that a few shops offering essential items on subsided rates can also be set up at the terminus to ensure there aren’t any vacant spaces.
“Steps will be taken to provide adequate lighting at the vacant spaces inside the terminus,” says an MTC official.
