CHENNAI: Rain or shine, the commuters have to bear them all, as two bus stops on Sardar Patel Road in Adyar lack shelter. The stops are located close to Kasturba Nagar 2nd Cross Street and Kasturba Nagar 1st Cross Street on Sardar Patel Road, opposite the bus terminus, and are about 100 metres apart. A senior official from GCC said the stops have been devoid of a shelter for about 15 years.
TNIE, on Monday, saw several commuters asking others about the location of the bus stop while mentioning their destination.
60-year-old K Sarada told TNIE waiting at the stop without a shelter under the hot sun is very difficult, especially for elderly people like herself.
The shelters do not have sign boards indicating the stop location and the bus numbers.
Y Sophia, a college student, said the people often end up waiting at the wrong stop for a long time. Since buses usually halt slightly away from the designated spots, commuters often struggle to board them.
Commuters noted buses 5E (bound for Vadapalani), 47A/A7 (Villivakkam), and 23C (Ayanavaram) stop near Kasturba Nagar 1st Cross Road, while buses 49/49F (Iyyapanthangal) and 78 (Koyambedu) halt near Kasturba Nagar 2nd Cross Street.
A long-time resident alleged some commercial establishments along the road are preventing the construction of bus shelters as it would affect their visibility. Nearly three weeks ago, the resident said an attempt to build a shelter near Kasturba Nagar 2nd Cross Street was halted when an individual demolished the newly laid bus-shelter foundation.
When asked about the issue, a senior official from the Bus Route Roads department told TNIE to share photographs of the location. Another official from Zone 13 said the spot would be inspected and, if feasible, a shelter would be installed.