CHENNAI: The residents of Chromepet demanded the State government to resume 52E bus facility connecting Chromepet east and west, which was stopped 15 years ago.

Residents of Radha Nagar, Bharathi Nagar, Nemilichery, Zamin Rayapeath, and Kurinji Nagar found the bus service to be useful but due to more waiting time at the railway crossing, the facility was stopped in 2010. After that, they had to rely on auto-rickshaws and taxis for everyday commute.

After repeated requests from residents, the Railways and the Highways departments decided to construct a vehicular subway on LC 26 in Radha Nagar. The government had allocated Rs 60 crore for the project but the work did not begin.

A few years ago, officers announced that a vehicular subway was not possible and promised to build a subway for pedestrians, two-wheelers and light vehicles. However, work for that has also not started.

On Monday, members of welfare associations from Chromepet and Tambaram gathered in Chromepet, and staged a protest, demanding bus services to be resumed. “There are 3.5 lakh people living in Chromepet but there is no proper bus connectivity. We urge the government to immediately restart the service again. Else, we’d have to take the protest to the next level,” said one of the protestors.