The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Amenities yet to be put on the rails

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 20, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Amenities yet to be put on the rails

P. Oppili

Tiruvanmiyur MRTS station leaves much to be desired

TAKE IT COOL: The water cooler is in a rusty state at the Tiruvanmiyur MRTS railway station. — PHOTO: R. RAGU

CHENNAI : The Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) railway station at Tiruvanmiyur is crying for the attention of authorities, as it has been languishing without basic amenities.

Commuters have a host of complaints ranging from a non-functioning of lift and escalator to an absence of proper toilet and clean atmosphere at the place.

The non-functioning of lift and escalator at the station tops the list of complaints.

M. C. Amalaraj, a resident of Tiruvanmiyur, who is a season ticket-holder, noted that the platform for boarding was located on the third floor of the building.

The lift and escalator are non-functional on many days and it has become a Herculean task for senior citizens or sick persons to use the station. (By the way, the lift started working on Tuesday.)

Complaints made to the authorities concerned have not yielded any concrete action. Some of the commuters lodged complaints with the station authorities, who, in turn, sent a telegram to their higher-ups. But commuters said the problem continued. Another commuter said the toilet in the station was out of bounds. The station staff have kept it under lock and key and never allow the passengers to use it.

Construction materials including iron rods have been strewn all around the premises. The sharp-edged iron rods pose a serious threat to the people visiting the place, he said.

Water is continuously leaking from the cooler at the station, which has made the surface slippery, they said. Next in the list of complaints is the parking lot functioning at the basement.

Commuters said more and more people heading towards Beach preferred to come by two-wheeler to the station. After leaving their vehicles in the parking lot, they board trains. But, the space in the parking lot is not sufficient to accommodate all vehicles.

The authorities should immediately take steps to extend it, as it becomes difficult to come out of the parking area in the morning and evening rush hours, they complained.

Another common complaint is that the coaches sent to Tiruvanmiyur are poorly maintained.

The commuters demand better coaches for Tiruvanmiyur as this is the second highest revenue earning station next to Tirumayilai.

R. Velu, Union Minister of State for Railways, has already announced a plan to beautify a few stations on the Beach-Tirumayilai sector.

Before that, the basic amenities should be provided at Tiruvanmiyur, the commuters said.

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