Damaged concrete floor turns Ambattur IE bus depot into dust bowl

Dust storms in summer, inundation during monsoon rains, private vehicles trespassing the premises, absence of drinking water facility, and adequate toilets and seating – the list of woes at Ambattur Industrial Estate bus depot is long. This is despite it being one of the most important depots in the western fringes of the city, catering to thousands of passengers every single day.

From Anna Nagar and Ayappakkam in the neighbourhood to Tambaram in the southern tip of the city, the industrial estate bus depot connects residents of the western suburbs to other parts of Chennai. It accommodates 63 buses, which undertake nearly 800 trips daily to ferry the thousands of commuters.

There are four bays in the depot, which can accommodate at least eight buses simultaneously. The bus routes that are connected to the facility include 20E (Ayampakkam to Depot), 20K (Tiruverkadu), 20J (Ayampakkam to CMBT), 62AGS (Red Hills to Depot), M65C (Pakkam village to depot) and 40A (Anna Square and Avadi). However, it still does not have a proper concrete floor, as the one laid years ago has been badly damaged, turning the depot into a dust bowl. Thus, the passengers who wait here have to deal with a dust storm every time a vehicle passes by, complained members of the public.

Apart from the floor, the approach roads to the depot, too, are in such a bad condition that long queue of MTC buses waiting to enter and exit the facility is a common sight. “The congestion in the bus depot has a spill over effect on the flow of vehicles on the main road. Sometimes, the traffic jams extend from the bus depot to Padi junction, affecting all the road users,” said S Louis, a regular commuter.

The situation is bad during rainy days as well when water stagnation becomes a big problem, said commuters. “The commuters are forced to board the buses by standing outside the facility. Then all the vehicles vie for space, resulting in constant traffic jams,” said a resident.

Though buses enter and exit the depot all the time, that has not prevented other motorists from trespassing and even parking their vehicles within the premises. “The auto-rickshaw drivers and other motorists park their vehicles inside the facility. Many times, they pick or drop passengers inside the premises. Because of this, the commuters waiting for buses have to exercise caution,” said another commuter. The depot not having a compound wall is one of the main reason for this, he said. Apart from this, the depot lacks basic facilities like provision for drinking water and inadequate seating arrangements for the passengers, while basic hygiene is also a serious issue here. “It is tough to wait for buses here, as the place stinks all the time. There is only a paid toilet facility available for the hundreds of commuters. Because of this, many relieve themselves in secluded places near the depot,” said Sharmila, a commuter.

When asked, an official from the Metropolitan Transport Corporation said the bus depot would be part of the facilities that would be taken up during the modernisation that are in the works. “It will be completely overhauled and equipped with basic amenities. The project will be undertaken before the end of the year,” the official said.