Months after Chennai Metro began work on two new rail lines criss-crossing Mylapore zone, neither CMRL nor the city’s services have bothered to care for ordinary people.
One issue where Chennai Metro and MTC have failed is in providing bus shelters at make-shift bus stops created on routes on diverted passageways. Despite a stream of e-mails and tweets, MTC and Metro officials have remained quiet – the oast many weeks.
In the 37 degrees heat, commuters are being roasted at these stops, saved only by the shade of avenue trees or sunshades of local shops.
Here are the key ‘roasting’ points –
< Karpagambal Nagar, Luz Church Road – some trees provide shade here
< Outside Sri Anjaneyar Temple, Luz Church Rd., Alwarpet – old bus stop hijacked by flower hawkers. Commuters stand on the roadside.
<< Kamaraj Salai, R A Puram – save for a bus stop board, there is nothing else for commuters
<< Srinivasa Avenue (east end) – major point for local school students, workers. Commuters seek shelter at two local shops.
<< Junction of Thiruvengadam Street, Venkatakrishnan Road, Mandaveli
Metro has affected pedestrians the most. They have lost their pavements, bus shelters and in some places have to compete with 2 wheelers and 4 wheelers to enter buses. Development should not be so skewed.