Waiting for the bus in the searing heat

With the mercury touching the 36 degrees Celsius, commuters arriving at Perungalathur bus terminus acutely felt the lack of bus shelters.

Except for a tree and a shack, commuters have no options for shade at Perungalathur bus terminus. Photo G. Krishnaswamy

If travelling in long distance buses in the peak of summer is an ordeal, waiting to board these buses at Perungalathur terminus is even worse.

With the mercury touching the 36 degrees Celsius mark on Saturday morning, commuters arriving at Perungalathur bus terminus acutely felt the lack of bus shelters.

Those waiting on the eastern side to board buses towards Chengalpattu are slightly better off. 

R. Kamalakannan and his family members from Tiruvannamalai, who had just reached Perungalathur, said: “We are forced to wait at bus stops that lack roofs. A small thatched hut and the shade offered by a withering tree are the only saving grace.”  

After the bus terminus was shifted from Tambaram to Perungalathur in July 2010, the government agencies have done little to improve amenities for the several thousand people arriving in hundreds of government and private buses, in addition to Metropolitan Transport Corporation services, he regretted. Directorate of Town Panchayat staff said that their local bodies faced severe financial crunch and just did not have enough funds to create bus shelters for a terminus like Perungalathur. However, they said that they would initiate steps to bring relief to commuters.

Similarly, commuters waiting for buses at stops at Chromepet GH and Kamakshi Hospital in Pallikaranai too face a similar ordeal. “Buses stop near the junction and not many of us risk waiting under the shade of the flyover and cross the road to board buses when they arrive,” said Ramesh Sivagnanam, a commuter.

There are many bus stops along arterial roads like GST Road and Velachery Main Road that do not have bus shelters with none of the government departments coming forward to bring relief, commuters added.