Drivers, conductors rue lack of drinking water at termini

“After a tiring drive through the city in the heavy traffic and hot sun, there won’t be any drinking water when we reach the terminus. Is it not the responsibility of the MTC management to provide clean drinking water to us?,” said a driver at Saidapet terminus.

He said that they are forced to buy water bottles. “We are buying at least two to three bottles a day,” he added. 

According to the drivers and conductors, termini at Broadway, Anna Nagar East, Vallalar Nagar, Saidapet, Adambakkam, Ambattur, Pattabiram, Thiruninravur, Tambaram East and West do not have drinking water supply.

A driver at Adambakkam terminus cum depot said not only drinking water, but there was also no running water in the toilets as well.

 “The unavailability of drinking water at the terminus is a perennial problem. It has become worse this summer. The management does not consider it as its responsibility to provide water,” said MV Ramamoorthy, vice president of Netaji Transport Workers Union. 

To overcome the lack of water availability, in Tiruvallur bus terminus which has daily service of 60 buses, the timekeeper collects Rs 10 each from the crew members to supply water, he said.

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU)-affiliated State Transport Employees Union president P Balakrishnan said that providing clean water is a basic necessity but the management fails to provide even that. “The management has the responsibility to provide drinking water to commuters as well,” he said, pointing out that despite several protests held by them, the management remained indifferent.

A senior MTC official said that they would look into the complaints. “The supply might have got delayed due to the water shortage. We will look into the complaints,” the official said.