Residents of Santhanakrishnan Street at Nehru Nagar in Chromepet have been plagued by the problem of MTC buses from the nearby bus depot being parked on their narrow street for a long time. And the issue has been steadily becoming more difficult to deal with as the neighbourhood grew and vehicle ownership increased. Residents find it is a huge challenge now to move about on their private wheels as these parked buses take a huge bite out of this narrow street.

Between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m., outgoing buses line up on this narrow residential road, awaiting drivers. After 9 p.m., returning buses are again left haphazardly until another crew moves them into the bus depot. At any given time, around 10 buses can be seen parked on Santhanakrishnan Street. The root cause is a shortage of crew. Temporary drivers operate buses only when they report, and at night, the crew rush off to collect their daily batta, abandoning the buses on the road. Despite clear directions from the Chief Minister’s Office against parking on public roads, enforcement remains weak. The impact is felt most by school vans and office-goers forced to navigate around buses.

With four schools nearby, safety is a major concern. Old buses negotiating narrow lanes risk accidents involving children and pedestrians.

Operationally too, the bus depot’s location is inefficient. Shifting it to GST Road, where MTC has major depots at Tambaram, Tambaram Sanatorium and Alandur, would improve fuel efficiency and traffic flow. The CM’s Cell has already issued directions. Residents now await action. Relocating the depot will restore safety, reduce pollution, and bring peace back to this neighbourhood.

(C.R. Narasimhan is a resident of Chromepet and founder member, SRDF Vivekananda Vidyalaya in Chromepet)

Published - July 30, 2026 03:41 pm IST