Three years ago, the bus terminus at East Mugappair was renovated with concrete flooring to prevent flooding during monsoon.
While authorities must be appreciated, they have, however, failed to provide basic amenities like seating arrangement for commuters and a place for dining and resting for the bus drivers.
Social activist Ramani, a resident of East Mugappair, brought this to our attention and we approached the MTC drivers, conductors and passenger to know about their problems and requirements.
A bus driver said, “A few years back, many bus terminuses in the State were provided with a building for breastfeeding. While it is being used in major terminuses like CMBT, the one here has been under lock and key since the day it was built. The room can be partitioned and one portion can be used as a dining and restroom for drivers as we have no place to eat here.”
Just as we were talking about the problem, an elderly gentleman walked in to ask the procedure to renew his bus pass. The MTC official gently informed him that the facility to do so was not available here and he had to go to Anna Nagar West Bus depot that was five km away.
Social activist Ramani said, “I have also written to the authorities to a lot of times to set up a facility here to issue senior citizen bus passes. I have not got any positive reply till now. For a region covering Anna Nagar, Tirumangalam, Padi, Mogapair West, JJ Nagar and Nolambur, only the bus terminus at Anna Nagar West has a facility to issue free bus passes to senior citizens,” he laments.
The residents also say that there are no direct services from here to Anna Nagar West bus terminus. There are bus services only up to Tirumangalam, after which, commuters usually take share autorickshaws to reach the terminus.
‘News Today‘ noticed that even basic facilities like a place for the commuters to sit is absent and there was no shade in the entire bus terminus apart from a lone neem tree outside.
“We are therefore forced to stand outside the terminus under the shade instead of waiting inside the terminus that was renovated spending lakhs,” says Ramani.