In a bid to improve the cityscape and address public complaints, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) undertook a massive cleaning operation on Wednesday, targeting over 1,200 bus shelters that had fallen into disrepair. More than 2,500 workers were deployed to scrub, sweep, and remove debris and posters from the shelters and their surroundings. The cleaning drive yielded impressive results, with 95.7 tonnes of garbage and 4,221 posters cleared.
The GCC focused on key roads across the city, including ECR in Kottivakkam, Grand Northern Trunk Road in Madhavaram, 200-feet road in Manali, Paper Mills Road, OMR, Jambulingam main road in Kolathur, and P T Rajan Salai in Vadapalani. During the clean-up, 78 bus shelters were identified as requiring immediate repair due to damage to roofs, railings, seating, and advertising frames.
GCC Commissioner J Kumaragurubaran acknowledged the numerous online complaints regarding bus shelters marred by electric cables, garbage, and potholes. The mass cleaning drive, which ran from 6 am to 8 am, deployed three workers per bus shelter as an initial step towards improving their condition.
The city’s bus shelter maintenance situation has been complicated by legal battles with contractors who had secured contracts in 2015. Around 700 shelters are currently in arbitration, as the contractors filed lawsuits seeking remedies. The GCC’s attempt to tender out the remaining 750 shelters was met with legal challenges from the contractors, who obtained a stay order preventing the bidding process. This has resulted in an annual revenue loss of 46 crores for the GCC, as the contractors were obligated to pay a 2.25 lakh annual concession fee for each 17 sq m shelter.
Despite the legal hurdles, the GCC decided to proceed with the clean-up due to the volume of complaints. The commissioner stated that the GCC would present evidence of the contractors’ poor maintenance during the next hearing. Once a favorable court order is obtained, new tenders for maintenance will be issued.
Furthermore, a Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) case is pending concerning the 437 crore bus shelter project. The case alleges that contractors lacked the necessary technical and financial qualifications to meet the tender criteria. Jayaram Venkatesan, convener of Arappor Iyakkam, which highlighted the issue, questioned the DVAC’s lack of progress in the case.
