Hop, skip and jump — this is what commuters are forced to do at the Broadway bus terminus, one of the busy terminals in the city, owing to encroachments and the garbage littered on the floor. The promise to improve passenger amenities on the premises has remained an unfulfilled promise for the past many years.
This is not a lone example of the poor condition of bus termini. Most in the city are in a terrible condition and without basic amenities. The MTC operates over 3,600 buses across the city. There are 71 bus termini in the Greater Chennai limits, including adjoining districts. While 34 are maintained by the MTC, the remaining are taken care of by the respective local bodies.
A visit to some of the termini showed them to be in a very bad shape. While the surface is uneven in most of them, many do not have toilets for passengers. In some, cows were tethered to posts and cattle were found loitering freely amidst the buses.
‘Flooded during rain’
“Most of the termini are below road level and during monsoon, these places get flooded. It then becomes difficult for passengers to go inside,” said M. Somasundaram, liaison officer, Consumer Association of India. He attends the Voluntary Consumer Organisations’ quarterly meeting with MTC officials, including the public utility’s Managing Director and Depot Managers. The last such meeting was held in September.
Among the low lying termini is Thiruvanmiyur. “Buses to different parts of the city are operated from here. But it is in a pathetic condition; the surface is bad. When we complain to the officials, they brush it aside saying that the [Thiruvanmiyur] terminus will be demolished soon for some development work,” alleged S. Rajendran, a passenger.
The T. Nagar Bus Terminus, an important one in the city, is highly cramped. “At least seven buses enter and exit the terminus every minute, but the bus bays are insufficient. Though some bio-toilets are kept near the Madley Road entrance, people urinate around it and the stench is unbearable,” said M. Mugilan, a regular commuter.
Meanwhile, at the Villivakkam Bus Terminus, commuters have to jostle for space with cattle. “Cows move freely in the terminus as a cattle shed is located nearby. It is very difficult to start the bus in the morning as animals sleep under the vehicles. The stench is also unbearable,” said a bus driver.
R.K. Ravichandran, secretary, Ayyapanthangal and Baraniputhur Consumer Protection Society, said that the Ayyapanthangal Terminus is littered with garbage. “After much struggle, the toilets are now maintained well. But there is need for better illumination too,” he said.
A. P. Srinivasan, executive secretary, Consumer Protection Forum, said that the Tiruvottiyur Bus Terminus was shifted to a nearby vacant government land in view of Chennai Metro Rail work. “Earlier, public urinals were there, but not now. This has led to open defecation,” he explained.
‘Elders worst-hit’
Apart from this, Mr. Srinivasan stressed the need for a public address system, and bus bays.
“It has been one year since the terminus was shifted. By now, they should have introduced the facilities. There is also a need for seating facilities. Without this, senior citizens are struggling,” he added.
K. Natarajan, treasurer of MTC’s union Labour Progressive Federation, said that there are no urinals at the Anna Square Terminus, which is thronged by thousands of commuters every day. “We have made several representations, but to no avail,” he said.
‘Modernisation soon’
Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar said that some of the terminals may be modernised in the coming years. Mr. Vijayabhaskar claimed that he and his team visited termini in the city and found that most of them are in a bad shape as they are very old.
“They are below road level. There are plans to have multi-level bus terminus in Thiruvanmiyur, Vadapalani, T. Nagar and modernise them,” he added.
