CHENNAI: At Saidapet, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the city, you have to walk for 1.5 km to get access to bus services, and it takes decades for any government to resolve. This is the daily reality for the residents of Government Farm in Saidapet, who have long been urging the authorities to fulfil their demand.
I work as a house-help for Rs 6,000 a month. Most of my earnings go toward paying for my husband’s medical treatment. Though it’s a long distance, I walk to the bus stop instead of spending Rs 100 for an auto rideA senior resident, Government Farm, Saidapet
A densely populated locality with more than 700 houses and 2,000 people, every day, students, office-goers, and senior citizens are forced to walk all the way to Anna Salai just to board a bus or catch the Metro Rail.
The Government Farm is located behind the TN Golf Federation, Cosmo Golf Club in Saidapet.
The voice of P Kalaivani echoes the struggle faced by hundreds of women in Government Farm, “For any emergency, and even to buy anything, we have to walk for 1.5 km. Pathetically, the struggle continues for three generations, from my father to my grandson.”
Another resident, Usha Sasikumar, said, “I cannot walk 1.5 km in this heat to board a bus at Anna Salai or to go to the market. If we book an auto, they demand Rs 100 just to drop us off at Anna Salai, and an additional Rs 50 to reach the market or railway station.”
Senior citizens and others who cannot afford to pay for an auto pointed out that with recent fuel price hikes, their hard-earned money is vanishing soon. “I work as a house-help in the nearby government quarters and earn Rs 6,000 a month. My husband has health issues, so most of my earnings go toward his medical expenses. Even though it’s a long distance, I prefer walking to the bus stop instead of spending Rs 100 on an auto,” a senior resident shared.
Recently, the residents of Government Farm met with Saidapet MLA Arul Prakasam and submitted a petition detailing a charter of demands, which included improving streetlights, providing household piped water connections, and constructing separate public toilets for men. “One of our main demands is either to extend the minibus service to Government Farm or to extend buses that halt at the TN Housing Board Quarters and PWD in Todd Hunter Nagar for government staff,” said a resident.
Ward Councillor and Deputy Mayor M Magesh Kumaar stated that minibus services could indeed be extended to ease the residents’ difficulty.