Kovur has a bus stand but buses don't stop there

Chennai: ‘Kovur bus stand’ - reads the large blue board in the terminus where one can find all kinds of vehicles ranging from mopeds to cars. The only exception is Metropolitan Transportation Corporation buses for which the facility is actually meant for. Over 100 buses, mainly from Iyyappanthangal, Poonamalle and Vadapalani ply in the area daily and still not one of them goes into the bus stand.

It has been about three years since the Kovur bus stop was renovated with seating facilities, proper washrooms and dustbins at a cost of nearly Rs 7 lakh that was pooled from the funds of local leaders and yet the stop remains unutilised by MTC drivers. “There is a sharp turn to the right to come out of the bus stand. Many a time, motorists coming on the opposite side collide with the buses due to this. Due to the space constraints, we park the vehicles on the Kundrathur main road,” said one of the drivers who drives on the route of the terminus.

According to a senior official of MTC, the buses were parked inside the terminus initially when a staffer was also appointed for the regulation of buses. However, the practice boomeranged in the absence of the regulator.

As the bus stop remained deserted for a long time, private bus owners, motorists and auto drivers, use the terminus as a parking area illegally. Commuters are also discomfited by the fact that the place has fallen prey to anti-social activities.

“The place is well demarcated and the bus shelter is better than most other terminuses in the city. However, from being baked in the sun during summer to getting drenched in the rain, the purpose of the terminus to provide better facilities to the commuters is lost,” said P. Kumar, who was standing at the terminus. He pointed out that the police too are not taking action because parking the bus inside the terminus would lead to traffic chaos due to the awkward turn out of the terminus.