Two buses of the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) will be modified by removing all the seats and made available for shelter-less people and destitutes during night time.     

These buses after modification will turn as temporary night shelters and would move to places like government hospitals, Indo- American Cancer Hospital where attendants of poor patients coming from various parts of the country for treatment can sleep in these buses during night time.

GHMC commissioner Somesh Kumar said that APSRTC has joined hands with the GHMC for providing two buses and they will be placed where the requirement is more to provide  shelter to the people at nights. The GHMC is also planning to provide mobile toilets near temporary night shelters for the convenience of the people, he added.

A rapid survey conducted recently has identified 3,498 shelterless people and only 1,600 people were keen on staying in night shelters. Since most of them were not willing to stay in night shelters, the GHMC is planning to take up a special drive to explain them about the benefits of night shelters.

The commissioner said that the corporation will take up construction of compound walls for 385 open spaces at a cost of Rs 49 crore.

He further requested the public to provide information regarding open spaces in their localities to the GHMC through call centre 155304.

A number of schemes concentrating on outer areas of the city received much attention during this month’s Corporation Council Meeting. The city council passed a number of resolutions on schemes such as better quality roads, LED street lighting and construction of storm water drains in areas such as Ambattur, Alandur and Sholinganallur.

Out of the 97 resolutions passed during the council meeting a number of these focused on bringing the recently added and outer areas of the city to corporation standards. A separate resolution was passed for laying of better quality roads in Ambattur The mayor informed that “Road laying works in outer areas such as Ambattur and Alandur were going on in quick pace and can be expected to be completed before March 31 and in case of delays, it will be completed by April 10.”

The council also passed a resolution on installing over 534 LED lights in Ambattur of which 100 had already been installed, claimed the mayor. Laying of storm water drains in areas such as Alandur also drew special focus.

However, a slew of minor developments were also announced for areas in the city such Kodambakkam and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar. The Mayor expressed that the space under the Kodambakkam flyover will be properly barricaded and other improvements will be made. During the proceedings the council also passed a resolution to construct clothes protection rooms for the innumerous Dhobis living in Saidapet and MGR Nagar along the lines of those already available at the Chetpet Dhobi Khana.

One of the councilors mooted the idea of providing quota for councillors to provide jobs in Corporation projects.