The Hindu : Low footboards in 10 buses for the disabled

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 21, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

Low footboards in 10 buses for the disabled

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI MAY 20. Footboards will be lowered in 10 buses and more vehicles will be modified in a phased manner in order to make it easy for the physically disabled to board them, R. Viswanathan, Transport Minister said. He was inaugurating two new routes from Nanganallur today.

The strike called for by various organisations will not affect the services of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation, which will run `100 per cent services', he said.

Six services will be run on each of the two routes N 70 and N 18 and they will ply from Nanganallur to Ambattur Industrial Estate and Tambaram. The first N 18 service will leave the new terminus at 6 a.m. followed by services at 8.45, 11.30, 14.30, 17.20 and 20.10 hrs. The first service on route N 70 will leave at 7.30 a.m. and will be run at 10.45, 13.47, 15.20, 18.40 and 21.42 hrs.

N 18 will ply on the usual route until Halda and then continue via Guindy railway station to Meenambakkam, Chromepet and terminate at Tambaram.

N 70 will continue from the Guindy railway station to Inner Ring Road, the Vadapalani police station, Koyambedu Circle, Tirumangalam, Wavin and terminate at the Ambattur Industrial Estate.

Residents' welfare associations made a representation to Mr. Viswanathan for the reinstatement of all routes operated before the underground sewerage project was begun and expansion of services on some of the routes. The residents want 10 buses on route no. 52K, five on route no. 52, two on route no. 52M, and three each on route no. 52P and 18C cut-service.

The residents want the MTC to operate services to Anna Square, Central Station and Tiruvanmiyur that will either pass through Nanganallur or begin at Nanganallur. They point out that these routes would cover Guindy, Adyar, Mylapore, Santhome, Marina, Saidapet, DMS, Sterling/Haddows Road, Egmore, Madipakkam and Velachery. The new terminus in Nanganallur, which cost Rs. 30 lakhs, was built with the MLA constituency development fund. The land for the terminus was gifted by the Hindu Cooperative Building Society three years ago to the Alandur Municipality. Originally a farmer's market had been planned.

The new services will mean that residents of the State Bank Colony here would have to walk at least half a km to reach the terminus. The old terminus was close to the SBI colony. The residents are planning to make a plea to the MTC for services through their area.

Inaugurating the new routes, the Minister drove a bus with party functionaries and some children. The Social Welfare Minister, B. Valarmathi, was present.

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