A year after chief minister M. K. Stalin inaugurated the ₹42-crore omni bus terminal in Mudichur, the five-acre facility remains largely unused, with long-distance private operators continuing to load and unload passengers from core city locations in violation of Madras high court directions.
Earlier this week, only about 15 buses were parked inside the depot, which has the capacity to hold 150. The terminal, located along the Outer Ring Road (ORR), was declared ready for operations in December 2024. However, operators who run more than 1,000 private buses to southern and western districts have not shifted from Koyambedu.
In February 2024, the high court granted an interim stay favouring operators but limited the relief to those who already had depots in Koyambedu and only until the Mudichur facility became operational. Despite the depot being ready, operators have continued using inner-city pick-up points and have not complied with the court-mandated route via the Chennai Bypass, Perungalathur, and onwards to Kilambakkam. Officials noted that some buses still use the Inner Ring Road in violation of orders.
According to RR Agency co-founder Raghunathan Jayakumar, whose firm manages the depot, the space has a 180-bed dormitory, five restrooms, two restaurants, and toilets within the dormitory. He said the parking charge is ₹150 per bus per day and the dormitory fee is ₹80 per person. He stated that the facility has a dedicated entry and exit connecting directly to the ORR and linking to Kilambakkam, located 8 km away via the Grand Southern Trunk Road. He also said operators had recently demanded exclusive exit bays, which were constructed, but they still refused to shift. He added that the agency was maintaining the depot at a loss and paying staff despite minimal utilisation, as the CMDA had asked them to wait for operators to begin using the space.
All Omni Bus Association president A. Anbalagan said operators were unwilling to relocate because “there is no connectivity to Kilambakkam,” and most bookings originated from inner-city locations rather than the new terminal. He stated that operators typically received around eight bookings from Ambattur, more than ten from central Chennai, and only three to four from Kilambakkam, adding that operators would function only where passenger demand existed.
Transport joint commissioner (enforcement) Pattapasamy said this resistance was similar to the opposition seen when operators were asked to move from Egmore to Koyambedu in the 1990s, adding that authorities were holding discussions to gradually shift them to the Mudichur depot.
(Source: Times of India)
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