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Tamil Nadu

Nanganallur residents seek more direct buses

Special Correspondent

TAMBARAM: Residents of Nanganallur have appealed to the State Government to introduce more direct Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus services from this southern suburb to different parts of the city.

At a meeting of the United Forum of Nanganallur Welfare Associations at Hindu Colony Chellammal Vidyalaya on Sunday, office-bearers of the Forum and residents submitted a list of grievances to Labour Welfare Minister T.M. Anbarasan, who is also MLA from Alandur.

The residents said that MTC services from Nanganallur were “woefully inadequate.” Apart from introducing services on new routes, services to T. Nagar that were stopped some years ago should be restored, they said.

K.S. Raghavan, general secretary of the forum, said that at a grievance meeting organised by the Transport Department in December last year, they had presented their demands for new services.

Recently, when new buses were dedicated, only one new route between Nanganallur and Thiruvanmiyur via Velachery was launched.

The past couple of decades had seen a tremendous growth in Nanganallur, Thillai Ganga Nagar and nearby localities owing to their proximity to the city. But most residents were dependent on suburban electric trains to reach their workplaces in city as bus facilities continued to be insufficient, Mr. Raghavan told the Minister.

To enable people to commute comfortably between this suburb and other parts of the city, the State Government had to provide new services to Perambur, Anna Nagar, Tiruverkadu, Sriperumbudur, and Egmore, Mr. Raghavan said.

Speakers representing various associations affiliated to the Forum said transport was an important problem faced by residents. Until new MTC services were introduced, at least share-autorickshaws could be permitted.

Pointing out that share-autos operated on arterial roads, including the Velachery Main Road that was served by several hundred MTC services, residents said share-autos would immensely benefit commuters in the Nanganallur, Thillaiganga Nagar, Adambakkam, Madipakkam and Moovarasmpettai areas.

Minister’s assurance

Mr. Anbarasan said new permits for share-autos were not issued anywhere, but assured that the Government would consider granting permits in Nanganallur at the next opportunity.

He assured residents that their demands for better transport facilities would be looked into.

The Minister said steps would be expedited to introduce MTC services from Nanganallur to Guduvanchery via Tambaram and Egmore via Shastri Bhavan.

A couple of ‘M’ services to Koyambedu would be extended to Anna Nagar, M 11 from East Tambaram to Madipakkam junction would be extended to Nanganallur and C5/C6 circular route service from Saidapet to Madipakkam and back would touch Nanganallur, the Minister assured.

Among other demands placed by the residents were an increase in the frequency of drinking water supply, attending to seepage in the Pazhavanthangal vehicular subway, re-laying of battered roads, and wiping out mosquito menace. Alandur Municipal Chairman R. S. Bharathi said the Tirusulam Water Supply Project, a scheme to harvest rainwater run off from around the Tirusulam hillocks, was likely to commence soon.

The local body and the State Government were taking steps to introduce daily water supply in Alandur Municipality in a few months, he said.

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