Seatless then, now roofless too: the strange case of a bus stop in Selaiyur

On the State Highways-managed Tambaram Velachery Main Road, around the Mahalakshmi Nagar bus stand (for West Tambaram-bound buses) in Selaiyur, Madurai Military Hotel, R.K. Sri Muniyandi Vilas and Tasty Hotel bestow a rare brand of hospitality upon those entering their geographical coordinates. They are like the hundred-handed Hecatoncheires from Greek mythology, extending their many helpful hands not only to their paying customers, but to bus commuters outside, standing shelterless and seatless.

For a long time, these commuters had been going seatless, standing under the corrugated steel roof of a narrow shelter, the older commuters hunkering down when their knees creak in protest at the workload. After the State highways managed to widen this section of the road, these commuters would be waiting under this shelter, calling to mind the cliched image of shipwrecked travellers standing in a precarious mound of earth in the midst of a vast sea, its cascading waves threatening to overrun their only refuge. And this refuge for commuters was removed. Inadequate though it was, its loss has meant something to these commuters, as they are now not just seatless, but roofless too. 

This shelter was torn down, and its poles shifted to the edge of the road, suggesting the construction of a shelter located in an appropriate and safe space. For well over a month now, the promise has remained a promise. These poles stand shelterless along with the commuters. And where the shelter stood, a barricade now stands as the only bulwark against vehicles being driven in the wrong direction. 

The State highways should have rustled up a temporary shelter with seating, and not allowed these commuters to run into the arms of the shops around the bus stand, seeking to rest their tired limbs. These commuters can be seen helping themselves to makeshift seats, in other words, the steel stairs, the raised platform and so on offered by these shops. This is no sit-in protest and these commuters are gentle souls resigned to their lot, but this can be construed as a sit-in, underlining official indifference.

The section of the State Highways active in these parts should learn the language of Chennai Metro Rail Limited, which fashions makeshift shelters complete with seating when it has removed a bus stop from its original moorings and relocated it.

There are inherent challenges in widening this arterial road in one smooth move from one end to another. It is inevitable that the road would resemble a poorly pressed tube of toothpaste, narrow parts alternating with the wide, the widening exercise met with resistance through legal recourse on some sections. The widening exercise around the Camp Road junction has hit a roadblock, and so the current bus stops would be relocated whenever the widening finally happens. But should that stop the managers of the road from offering commuters respectful temporary seating. The Camp Road Junction bus stand for Medavakkam-bound buses resemble the rail close to the stage of a rock concert, large numbers of commuters standing during rush hour, some throwing themselves upon the hospitality of the shops around.