Residents of Thiru Vi Kaa Nagar near Perambur have been demanding an increase in bus services from the neighbourhood so that residents are able to travel directly to various sections of the city, Adyar, Nungambakkam, Anna Salai and Tambaram, without any difficulty.
Every day, many residents of Thiru Vi Kaa Nagar commute to reach places such as Kodungaiyur, Sembium, Periyar Nagar, Kolathur, Moolaikadai, Madhavaram, Perambur, Manali, Mathur MMDA, Purasaiwalkam, Vysarpadi, Kumaran Nagar, Peravallur, Vinayakapuram and Vepery.
Bus services to these areas, which are located around Thiru Vi Kaa Nagar, are readily available.
However, commuters from the neighbourhood find it difficult to reach the central and southern parts of the city such as Teynampet, Saidapet, Guindy, Anna Salai, Adyar and Tambaram.
“We have to board at least two buses to reach the central parts of the city where government offices and commercial establishments are located. We have to spend at least two hours to reach these buses,” says S. Parasuram, a commuter from Thiru Vi Kaa Nagar.
At present, commuters have to reach the bus terminus at Perambur to go to various places in the central and southern parts of the city as most of the bus services originating at the terminus in Thiru Vi Kaa Nagar cover only the northern and western parts of the city, which include Anna Nagar, Kolathur, Red Hills, Madhavaram and Ennore.
As the terminus is located near residential colonies on the Sundara Perambur Koil Street, many commuters use the facility to reach various parts of the city.
Unlike Perambur or Villivakkam that have rail and bus connectivity, residents of Thiru Vi Kaa Nagar feel connected to other parts of the city only via bus services.
Commuters also said that apart from operating regular buses to various areas, MTC should also ply small buses from the neighbourhood to cover localities adjoining it such as Kolathur (3km), Moolaikadai (3km), Madhavaram (6km), Sembium (2km), Doveton (3km) and Periyar Nagar (3km).
It may be noted that MTC stopped bus services between Thiru Vi Kaa Nagar and Chetpet and Sterling Road (Route No: 37 B) citing poor revenue collection.
“We will take steps to ensure new bus services are introduced in this area to ensure access to many parts of the city,” says an MTC official.