After the small bus service S47 was discontinued, S. Thangaselvan, a retired bank official, would have to walk one kilometre, from his residence on IAF Road to Hindu College railway station in Pattabiram, whenever he would want to visit his daughter, who lives in Perambur. He was one of many residents of the region who missed the last-mile connectivity that this small bus service was providing them with.
This small bus service from Avadi bus terminus to Mittanamalle had been stopped citing the condition of IAF Road, which belongs to the Ministry of Defence. The road had potholes at that time.
It may be recalled that The Hindu Downtown highlighted the demand of the residents of the region that the small bus service be brought back.
And then, six months ago, after the Avadi Municipality had relaid the road taking public interest into condition, the service was restored, to the delight of residents like Thangaselvan.
“We had to struggle to get authorities to re-lay the stretch; and then have the small bus service resumed,” said T. Sadagopan, a long-time resident in Pattabiram.
Introduced five years ago by the State government to provide last-mile connectivity, the S47 currently covers areas like Muthaputhupet, Mittanamalle, Pattabiram, Bharathiyar Nagar, Uzhaipalar Nagar, Sekkadu, Karim Nagar, Hindu College, Pattabiram and Sabir Nagar. The bus service is being operated with a thirty-minute frequency.
Besides residents of the region, the government hospital staff at the Maternity wing of the Primary Health Care centre (PHC) in Pattabiram rely on the bus to reach the sub PHC in Mittanamalle every day for routine check-ups of patients in the small farming locality.
At present, four small buses are being operated between Avadi and Mittanamalle. There is a need for additional small bus services in the region, but MTC is said to be hesitant in meeting this demand, due to the high operational costs of running small bus services.