Pallavaram bus shelters in shambles, residents demand action

There are more than a thousand commuters who ply to and from the localities in and around Pallavaram. A large number of them travel for work, according to a resident. There are four big bus shelters on the Grand Southern Trunk Road -- two in Pallavaram and two in Chromepet. These were built with the constituency funds by past MLAs and MPs, almost a decade ago. Highlighting their poor condition, V Santhanam, president, Federation of Civic and Welfare Associations of Pallavaram, said, “The shelters were built over a decade ago. But these are not maintained by the Pallavaram municipality.  There is also a mofussil bus stand in Chromepet, which was built by the municipality. It is also in poor shape with no seats for passengers or proper lighting. Other shelters were damaged during Cyclone Vardah a couple of years ago. The sheets serving as roofs were blown away and now all these shelters are profusely leaking during rain.”

He added that the shelters have begun to serve as cattle sheds. “The animals have a free run and cause a lot of nuisance to the public,” he said. Santhanam also added that there is a huge safety concern due to lack of lights in the locality.

Another bus stand in Hasthinapuram which has been caught in a legal tussle over the land has been in a state of neglect for several years now. “It is a busy area with people taking buses all the way to Parry’s for work,” he said, adding that while the rest of the shelters are on the Highways, this is in the interior parts of the city and is a big connecting point for many.

However, municipal engineer and acting commissioner Karuppiah Raja denies the reports of apathy, saying that they have been looking into the problems of lighting in the bus shelters. “However, we are not able to take up drastic renovations. The Highways Department must make the call. But the renovation of Hasthinapuram bus stand is not going to happen till the case nears completion,” he added.