The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Will Tambaram ever get a bus terminus?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 02, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Will Tambaram ever get a bus terminus?

K. Manikandan

`Its absence is causing traffic chaos' `Its absence is causing traffic chaos and inconvenience to commuters'

TAMBARAM: The absence of a bus terminus in Tambaram area has been causing a lot of inconvenience to several thousands of commuters and also creates traffic chaos. The problem is so acute that it might soon become impossible to handle the traffic during peak hours in both East and West Tambaram.

At present, there is only a bus shelter in West Tambaram and none on the eastern side. Hence, Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses are parked on the Velachery Main Road from near the railway level crossing till the road leading to the Tambaram railway station. The MTC operates more than 400 trips to different parts of Chennai from East Tambaram.

As the MTC buses occupy one side of the Velachery Main Road, two-way traffic is maintained on the other portion. Further, with the buses forcing to take a `U' turn near the level crossing, chaos reigns supreme during peak hours. Officials of the municipality said there was a necessity to construct a terminus, that too only in West Tambaram.

Buses were being parked on Velachery Main Road as there was inadequate space to accommodate all the vehicles in West Tambaram. Though a proposal for building a terminus opposite the Tambaram Taluk Office has been made and is still pending, many feel that this location is not suitable at it is too far away from the present location and that the local body and the State and Central governments should strive hard to locate it within Tambaram Municipality itself. Activists in Tambaram said that as the town was the southern gateway to Chennai, constructing a terminus here should be given a top priority. Officials added that with the commencement of work on a Road Over Bridge to replace the railway level crossing (LC No.30) at Tambaram, building a terminus would become inevitable. A.Janakiraman, Chairman (incharge) of Tambaram municipality, said plans were on to acquire a large portion of land belonging to the Defence Ministry.

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