CHENNAI: Even as the city corporation plans 11 more AC bus shelters, the four already functional are facing misuse and poor upkeep. The commuters and workers told TNIE the shelters are occupied more by drunkards and other regulars than by passengers, leaving commuters with little access to facilities meant for them.
During a visit to all four shelters, each built at a cost of Rs 1.3 crore to Rs 1.6 crore, TNIE found maintenance gaps almost everywhere. Toilets are damaged or locked at most facilities, and drinking water units are not working.
At the Royapuram shelter, the flush in the women’s toilet is allegedly broken and remained locked while the drinking water unit has not been working for over two months. School students waiting for buses in the evening often stop by for water, only to go back thirsty.
A daily commuter, who preferred anonymity, said, “Almost a week ago, I saw a drunk man sitting on a chair inside the shelter and urinating there. The workers then called the police, but they never turned up. This is not an isolated incident, especially with a Tasmac outlet just metres away.”
Another commuter said the air-conditioners, though switched on, barely cooled.
“Even ordinary bus shelters now have digital display boards showing bus timings and tracking information. But we do not have such facilities here. There are two televisions inside, but I have never seen them working,” the commuter said.
At Kolathur, where an AC shelter built at Rs 1.61 crore was inaugurated just nine months ago, several passengers were found waiting outside in the sun, with almost all the benches occupied by regular non-passenger users. A worker said 10 to 20 people frequent the shelter daily — arriving in the morning, leaving for food and returning to stay until night. A 75-year-old passenger waiting outside said,
“At least, the government must place benches outside, so that the elderly passengers could sit.” The toughened safety glass was found cracked and the entrance blocked. The drinking water unit, meanwhile, dispensed unfiltered water, which people continued to use, raising health concerns.
At the Ambedkar College AC shelter in Vyasarpadi, inaugurated by CM C Joseph Vijay, the men’s toilet was damaged and kept locked. A breastfeeding signboard is displayed inside the women’s toilet, though no such facility exists. At the shelter along Wall Tax Road, the drinking water unit has been non-functional for two months.
A corporation official from the bus route roads department said operation and maintenance were handled at the zonal level. Acknowledging frequent occupation by non-passengers, the official said AC shelters were more useful at bus terminus, such as the proposed Anna Square facility, due to heavy footfall, than at bus stops, where passengers wait only a few minutes.
Drunkards call it ‘home’
At the Royapuram shelter, a daily commuter, said, “Almost a week ago, I saw a drunk man sitting on a chair inside the shelter and urinating there. The workers then called the police, but they never turned up. This is not an isolated incident, especially with a Tasmac outlet just metres away.”