Commuters suffer as escalator near Tambaram Sanatorium stops working

The escalator located in the main junction in Tambaram Sanatorium was inaugurated around four years ago and was being used by thousands, including those working in the Madras Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) and the people who come to Tambaram court and Revenue office. Many are also visiting the place for shopping ahead of Deepavali festival.

The number of users increased exponentially after the State government announced the Sanatorium bus stop as a special bus terminal for long-distance services leaving to Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai and Chidambaram. However, for the past few days, thousands of people using the facility are being forced to use the stairs with their heavy luggage after the escalator stopped functioning.

“The escalator is very important for the commuters at this time, as many are coming to board buses. The officials should look into the issue and repair it immediately,” said P Viswanathan, convenor, Chitlapakkam Residents’ Association.

Dinesh from Tambaram, who came to Sanatorium to board a bus, said he saw many elderly persons using the stairs with heavy luggage. “Most of them were unable to climb the stairs and were asking help from fellow commuters,” he said.

When contacted, Anbarasu, City Road Maintenance engineer, said he would look into the issue and rectify the fault at the earliest.