The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Traffic snarls a regular feature at Tambaram

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 06, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Traffic snarls a regular feature at Tambaram

By P. Oppili

CHENNAI, JUNE 5. Encroachments, haphazard parking of buses and absence of a road over bridge to reach Velachery Road is leading to regular traffic snarls at Tambaram, the gateway to Chennai from the south.

The problem on the eastern side of GST road starts with the bus stop of the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC). A service road has been provided for this, which gets extended up to the railway level-crossing. Other buses, including the Metropolitan Transport Corporation, also have their stops.

Though a separate bus bay has been provided for the MTC vehicles going to Vandalur and beyond, most of the drivers stop the vehicles on the road. When the facility was created, many buses used it. But, now only a few buses use it, complain Traffic Police personnel.

On the western side too, most of the mofussil and MTC buses stop right on the road, blocking the movement of vehicles heading towards the city. Fruit sellers, petty shops and vegetable vendors have spread their shops along the stretch, leaving little space for pedestrians and commuters. Parking of vehicles has forced pedestrians and commuters to share the carriageway with speeding buses and lorries. The encroachments need to be cleared and the Highways authorities have to take steps to widen the road to reduce congestion on the stretch, say municipal authorities.

As per the 2001 census, Tambaram had a population of 1.34 lakhs and the daily floating population was estimated to be around 1 lakh. Though the figures have obviously increased during the past three years, the civic amenities have remained at the same level.

A spacious bus stand, a flyover connecting the GST Road to Velachery Road and the widening of both the wings of the GST Road are the three most important works required to be jointly taken up by civic, police and other Government agencies, according to residents.

A bigger bus terminus for Tambaram is long overdue, says S.R. Raja, Chairman, Tambaram Municipality. A few years ago, a 10-acre plot close to the Hindu Mission Hospital was identified for constructing a bus terminus. The land belongs to the Army and the authorities agreed to allocate a portion for the terminus. Now they refuse to provide the space forcing the municipality to identify a couple of other places. A four-acre land owned by the Health Department was short-listed and the department had agreed to give it to the municipality, he said.

Only a lack of sufficient bus bays leads to haphazard parking, says S. Shankar, Superintendent, Chengalpattu East Police District. As shifting the bus stop is not easy, it can be relocated into the railway premises, he feels.

The MTC must instruct its crew to use the existing bay in the railway premises. "As long as the stretch is policed, the MTC go into the bay. Otherwise, they park the buses on the road itself," he says. Similarly, shifting the existing mofussil bus stops from the eastern side will also help reduce congestion, he adds.

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