Chennai: Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with seven companies that will construct and maintain 11 airconditioned bus shelters across the city.GCC commissioner G S Sameeran said the shelters have been identified based on high footfall and will feature standardised designs equipped with AC, CCTV cameras, Wi-Fi, ramps integrated with footpaths, bus route information, lighting, puff panel roofing, toughened/laminated safety glass, USB charging points and panic buttons.He said the initiative was part of the chief minister’s vision to modernise public infrastructure and would eventually be extended across the city.“GCC has identified 1,562 bus shelters, which will be modernised based on location and feasibility. Some modern bus shelters without AC will also be built,” he said. “Some shelters have been disturbed due to metro construction work. We will replace them as well,” he said.The 11 locations span DMS (Anna Salai), Mylapore Bus Stand, Jawaharlal Nehru Road (Vadapalani), Vijay Nagar Bus Terminal (Velachery), Vadapalani Bus Stand near SIMS Hospital (both sides), Little Mount (Guindy), Avichi School (Arcot Road), Alandur Metro, and Egmore (both north and south sides).The companies include SRM Prime Hospital, Kauvery Hospital, Gurunanak College, SIMS Hospital, Rohini Hotels (Guindy), Apollo Hospital and Freyer International Logistics Pvt Ltd.Each shelter would cost between 40,000 and 48,000, and would be funded through CSR. Under the MoU, the companies will bear the recurring costs of maintaining the bus shelters, including cleanliness and deploying security personnel, in return for advertising space.Greater Chennai Police commissioner A Amalraj said that the shelters would provide commuters relief from rain, heat and dust. “Safety, cleanliness and basic facilities like drinking water need to be ensured inside the shelters,” he said.As a next step, GCC is also planning foot-over bridges (FOBs) with escalators and lifts at 56 locations under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Out of 56, 10 detailed financial feasibility reports are being prepared, Sameeran added.Mathew C, a resident of Triplicane, said, “There are several bus shelters that are decades old. The corporation must distribute new initiatives and not focus only on high real estate areas. I hope they also replace shelters that were removed for metro and stormwater drain work.”
