Chennai: Hundreds of commuters in Avadi are being forced to wait in the open without shelter at a busy bus stop near the railway station.The stop in Kamaraj Nagar on New Military Road, about 200m from the Avadi railway station exit, serves passengers travelling to Poonamallee, Maduravoyal and Anna Nagar. The shelter there was demolished last year during road-widening work by the highways department, and no temporary or permanent replacement has been installed.With temperatures crossing 40℃ in recent weeks, waiting for buses has become an ordeal for commuters. Residents said at least 10 people fainted in the past week while waiting at the stop. Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumer Welfare Association president T Sadagopan said the situation reflected poor planning, as several bus shelters removed for road projects were yet to be restored. He added that the nearby JAK city bus terminus was also in poor condition.S Anbu, a resident of Parthipattu, said the authorities could at least have provided a temporary shelter while the work was underway. He pointed to the absence of a proper bus-stop signboard. “Buses sometimes bypass the location because there is no visible marker. Repeated complaints to the Metropolitan Transport Corporation have produced no result,” he said.Officials said steps were being taken. MTC officials said that a request, along with a no-objection certificate, would be sent to Avadi Corporation for the construction of shelters wherever needed. A senior Avadi Corporation official said six locations had been identified for temporary shelters and that permanent structures would be built after the road-widening work was completed.
