Chennai: Encroachment has rendered the bus shelters at Saidapet Court unusable.
Chennai: The city’s parking shortage is so severe that even bus shelters in busy areas like Saidapet are encroached. Despite the construction of five shelters at the Saidapet Court (Taluk Office) bus stop, commuters are unable to use them as the spaces have been encroached upon by the public, lawyers, autorickshaw drivers, and even a notary service. Thousands of passengers board buses from this stop every day. The adjacent service road is also congested due to haphazard parking. This leaves commuters, including students and the elderly, at the mercy of the situation while waiting for buses on the busy Taluk Office Road. Regular commuters attribute the continued encroachment to poor enforcement of traffic rules and a lack of enforcement of preventive fines, forcing passengers onto the carriageway and footpath while waiting for buses. S. Sivaprakasam, a senior citizen and long-time resident of Saidapet, who uses this stop daily, said that buses often don’t stop at the designated spot, forcing passengers onto the carriageway during peak hours.
He added, “Government money was spent on building shelters, but they’re mostly unusable due to encroachment.” A female passenger said that the service road was cluttered with parked vehicles and notary services, leaving little space for passengers. She lamented, “When younger passengers wait on the carriageway, senior citizens are forced to sit on the footpath,” and appealed to the corporation and traffic police to remove the parked vehicles.
“Buses leaving the Saidapet depot stop in front of the taluk office, and other services stop at different locations, adding to the confusion.” College student P. Akash criticized the disregard for traffic rules in the area. “Those who are supposed to uphold the law are the ones violating it,” he said angrily. “Why is another bus shelter being built when the existing shelters are unusable?” A senior corporation official said the bus shelters have been handed over to the State Highways Department for maintenance, while action against illegal parking falls under the purview of the traffic police. “The civic body is also considering installing handrails in front of the shelters to prevent vehicles from parking in front of them,” the official said.
