All Metro Rail stations on the Koyambedu-Alandur line have easily accessible parking lots — except for the CMBT Metro station. Here, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has adequate land for a parking lot, but is unable to use it optimally. For, access to this land is poor.
To use this space for parking effectively — it is said that this is expansive enough to accommodate 150 to 200 vehicles — CMRL has need for a small piece of land, which belongs to Chennai Metrowater; access to the CMRL-owned land can be created only with this land.
Officials of CMRL said, “Though we have the land, we may be able to provide access to it only through a piece of land owned by Chennai Metrowater. We asked them for the land but they haven’t given it to us as yet,” an official said. Since the station is located inside the CMBT bus terminus, it registers a good footfall. But non-availability of an easily accessible parking lot has made it difficult for passengers who detrain at this station to use their vehicles to reach neighbouring areas. Some park their vehicles at CMBT.
The land that Chennai Metro Rail has sought belongs to sewage treatment plant in Koyambedu. It is one of the key facilities that house three plants with a capacity to treat 60 million litres a day (mld), 34 mld and 120 mld.
Metrowater sources said: “We had already given nearly six acres of land in various facilities, including at STP and water distribution station in Koyambedu, Arumbakkam and Ashok Nagar. Of these, a space measuring about four acres was given at Koyambedu STP and nearly 1 acre space at Koyambedu water distribution station for the Metro Rail corridor.”
Several parts of the city, including Virugambakkam, Choolaimedu, Vadapalani, Arumbakkam and Saligramam receive piped water supply from the distribution station at Koyambedu.
However, request for the space was turned down; as Metrowater needed space for its expansion of its facilities.
“The present treatment facilities at Koyambedu have occupied 50 acres of space. We need the remaining space for the upcoming tertiary sewage treatment plant on the premises that will help reduce the volume of sewage let into waterways,” an official said. Chennai Metro Rail’s first service between Koyambedu and Alandur started only in June last year. Initially, only Koyambedu, Arumbakkam, Ashok Nagar and Alandur had parking lots; but these facilities had been created for Vadapalani and Ekkatuthangal too.
