The Hindu : MTC-Highways stand-off deprives commuters of shelters

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 05, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

MTC-Highways stand-off deprives commuters of shelters
By Akila Dinakar

CHENNAI, MARCH 4. When the glow-sign bus shelters, sponsored by corporates and quasi-government organisations, are becoming popular, a stand-off between the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) and the Highways Department has deprived commuters of shelters in several parts of city.

The royalty to the MTC by way of advertisements, collected since 1985, has increased from Rs. 7,000 to 10,000 in 2000. The practice of inviting sponsors for erecting such shelters started in 1980.

But the Highways Department, all of a sudden, removed two shelters _ one near the SIET College and another near the K.K. Nagar area. It also objected to putting up a shelter at the Ambal Nagar bus-stop on the 100 feet Road, Vadapalani.

Sources trace the problem to the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company's act of erecting a bus-shelter at Pannaiyur near the Ragas Dental College. When the MTC demanded royalty, the TNRDC sought exemption from payment.

The Highways officials clarified that the East Coast Road was given on a 30-year lease to the TNRDC on condition that the latter would carry out improvement works. The toll would be collected by the company at a concessional rate for the transport corporation.

The MTC, however, refused to grant exemption, citing that the Government and quasi-government organisations including the Co-optex, the Khadi Board, the Powerfin and the Transport Development Finance Corporation had been paying royalty.

Irked by this, the Highways department refused permission to put up bus-shelters, and removed the existing ones.

The MTC argued that public places, even roads, did not belong to the Highways.

The MTC officials now fear that when the `glow-sign shelter' concept is fast picking up, the row with the Highways department will deter corporates from erecting such shelters which meant huge investment for them.

With 892 shelters in city, the MTC plans to convert ordinary shelters also into `glow-sign' ones.

Highways officials clarified that the shelters, which were probably removed for road-widening works, would be reinstalled at the same places. ``While these works are basically being done for the benefit of the public, the MTC can be informed in advance so that it could consult sponsors and shift the shelter to another location'', the MTC officials said.

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