The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : The long wait at Perungulathur

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Friday, Jul 15, 2005

Tamil Nadu

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The long wait at Perungulathur

K. Manikandan

Residents have to contend with crowded buses, trains and inadequate services

WHERE PATIENCE DOES NOT PAY: A crowd at the bus stop in the southern suburb of Perungalathur. — Photo: A. Muralitharan

TAMBARAM: The sight of a packed bus or train is the last thing a commuter wants to see during the morning rush hour. Commuters in the suburbs wait for hours to catch a bus, only to find it over-crowded.

A resident of Perungulathur says: "We are caught between the devil and deep sea." Though the bus stop and the railway station are close to each other, the demand for more services is acutely felt.

The crowds start pouring in from 7 a.m., as people head out to offices and educational institutions in the city. The crowd slowly extends from the bus stop to the railway crossing.

The crowds spill onto the GST Road at Perungulathur and as a result traffic slows down.

Commuters say the problems began after the Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus service — that terminated at Vandalur — was extended to Guduvanchery. Sufficient services were not operated to serve the increase in numbers.

S. Eswaran, an employee of the Accountant-General's office in Teynampet, says all buses bound for High Court and Red Hills are often packed to capacity. As both trains and buses are over-crowded, he has switched to travelling by a maxi-cab.

Mr. Eswaran suggests that Southern Railway operate shuttle or `cut' services between Guduvanchery and Tambaram.

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