In an attempt to improve the maintenance of MTC buses, the transport corporation has decided to construct 16 new depots in the fringe areas of Chennai.
The move would pave the way for creation of more vacancies so that hundreds of technical staff could be recruited and the buses parked outside the terminus need not fight for space in the congested terminuses.
Authorities recently identified lands for the proposed bus depots and land acquisition works have begun. “Several panchayats have passed resolutions to allocate the land for the proposed depots. Kovalam, Arumandhai, Maraimalai nagar, Kannagi nagar, Kundrathur, Gummidipoondi are among the identified places,” the sources said.
Blaming the previous regime for not developing any new depots in the suburbs though the operational areas of MTC was increased from 30 km to 50 km during that period, they said, “Buses operated from Tiruporur have to come all the way for parking at night to Tiruvanmiyur depot that is 25 km away.
Similarly, several buses have to travel long distances to reach their depots that are already congested. A depot can accommodate only 100 buses, whereas 200 buses jostle for space now.”