Reinstate shifted bus stop, demand Balaji Nagar locals

CHENNAI: Commuters of Balaji Nagar in Ambattur were struggling without a bus stop in the locality. A facility available earlier was shifted out a year ago. They complain that people were forced to walk at least 2 km to get a bus from the nearest bus stop. The public urged the civic body authorities to shift the bus stop back and resolve the issue at the earliest.

“Earlier, there was a bus stop at Balaji Nagar in Kallikuppam. As several shops and business have been impacted due to the bus shelter, the shopkeepers and politicians in the locality have shifted the bus stop. Now, people were forced to take buses from the nearby stop,” said SP Nedumaran, a resident of Ambattur.

As senior citizens were not able to walk 2 km to catch a bus, commuters end up taking autos. People were forced to wait under the sun for a long time, as there was no bus shed. The auto drivers never charge by the meter.

“The rainy days were even worse when they have to spend a lot of money on autos and some cannot afford to pay. We have spotted older people fainting, as they couldn’t stand in the sun. It has been almost a year since the bus stop was shifted from here,” added Nedumaran.

The local residents filed a petition in Chief Minister’s cell in March 2022. Though the petition was accepted, there was no step taken by the government to resolve the issue in the locality.

“For over six months, we ran from pillar to post asking the concerned department to shift the bus stop. The civic body authorities assured that it would be shifted back, but they failed to act,” stated R Dinesh, another resident of Ambattur.

The zonal corporation official did not respond to the calls made by DT Next even after multiple attempts.