For the thousands of commuters using the suburban trains, the lack of public conveniences tops the list of their grievances, besides the lack of parking space, clean platforms and drinking water at several stations. The western section has a large number of commuters because the suburban trains are operated till Thiruttani through Ambattur, Avadi, Tiruvallur, and Arakkonam. Unlike the trains operated in the southern section till Tambaram and Chengalpattu, the services in the western section attract commuters from far-off places. And these commuters find it difficult to use the toilets at the stations, for most of them are locked. At a few stations, there are no toilets at all. T. Murugeswaran, a commuter from Thiruninravur and working in a factory at Ambattur, says hundreds of workers getting down at the Pattravakkam station could not find public conveniences. And the station is located right behind the Ambattur Industrial Estate. Under lock and key The commuters are upset at the permanently closed public conveniences at the Perambur Loco, Villivakkam, Korattur, and Hindu College stations. Southern Railway constructed public toilets exclusively for persons with disabilities under the Divyangjan project, but they are kept locked at Ambattur, Korattur, and Avadi. The commuters also complained about the absence of public conveniences at Thirumullaivoyal, and Pattabiram Siding. The Tiruvallur station that thousands of commuters converge while visiting the Tiruvallur Collectorate and other government offices has only one public toilet. K. Baskar, former member of the Divisional Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (DRUCC), says the renovation of the Tiruvallur station is in progress under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS). Before the renovation started, two box-type toilets, installed on platform 6, were removed, besides the one installed on platform 2. At a railway station where the footfall touches nearly one lakh a day, only one toilet functions. In a vast suburban rail network in the city where trains are operated in four sections, commuters point out that except at the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) stations, public conveniences are not properly functioning in the Moore Market Complex-Avadi, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam section, the Tambaram-Chennai Beach section, and the MMC-Gummidipoondi section. The Tambaram-Chennai Beach section accounts for the largest number of commuters. But no public restrooms are available at any stations, other than Tambaram, Mambalam, and Saidapet. There are no public restrooms at Egmore and Park, though both stations are being redeveloped. Worse at bus termini For those commuters using public bus services, it is worse, with no public restrooms at many termini in the city. The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) is the sole public bus transport operator in the city. It has nearly 34 termini, and most of them lack public conveniences. Wherever toilets are available, they are not well maintained and could not be used at all, particularly by women. S. Balasubramanian, a regular bus commuter from West Mambalam, points to the poor condition of the restrooms at the T. Nagar bus terminus. He says the toilets are badly maintained, with no water available and no cleaners posted. The situation is similar at the termini in Vadapalani, Avadi, and Velachery. Commuters allege that the Tambaram bus terminus is a multi-modal hub with thousands of commuters using the suburban train and bus services. But there is no public convenience on both sides of the termini. In fact, the restroom, which was functioning on the eastern side of the terminus adjacent to the entrance of the railway station, has been demolished to make way for the pedestrian plaza linking the terminus to the railway station. The Broadway terminus, which handles the heaviest footfall in Chennai, does not have well-maintained toilets. Social activist T. Sadagopan says it is necessary that the authorities take steps to properly maintain the public conveniences at the bus termini and railway stations. Amrit Bharat projects under way A senior official of the Chennai Division of Southern Railway says bids have been called for posting contractors for maintaining the public conveniences at the railway stations in the western section, and they would soon be deployed. The official says that at several stations, projects under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme are being implemented. Once these stations are redeveloped, modern public conveniences will be available for the commuters.