Chennai’s mega buildings that remain underutilised years after inauguration

CHENNAI: Launched with fanfare and built at a cost of several hundred crores of rupees, a string of high-value public infrastructure projects across the city remains underutilised years after inauguration. The projects include the transport dept headquarters in Guindy, the Kolathur ornamental fish trade centre, the Mudichur bus terminus, the Saidapet native dog breeding centre and the Ambattur bus terminal commercial complex. All were inaugurated in the last five years but reported minimal utilisation, largely due to poor enforcement in relocating stakeholders to the new premises and delays in operational decisions.

The transport dept headquarters in Guindy, inaugurated twice in 2025 -- once by deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and again by transport minister S S Shivashankar -- has multiple floors vacant, with several rooms locked. A TOI visit found the reception desk on the first floor abandoned, while rooms earmarked for the assistant secretary, library, and conference hall were not in use. Several rooms on the third floor were locked. The promised road safety museum on the fifth floor remains a non-starter.


Officials said several staff are yet to shift from their office at Ezhilagam. The department is yet to appoint consultants for certain offices, including the World Bank lead team agency, and private bus enforcement teams are pending appointment. Joint commissioner (enforcement) Pattapasamy said efforts were underway to move the remaining staff and appoint consultants. The building’s parking area was largely deserted.

A few kilometres away, the Rs 5-crore native dog breeding centre in Saidapet, inaugurated by Udhayanidhi last year, remains non-functional. All 51 kennels are locked, as the animal husbandry department only recently began procuring pedigree dogs.

On the transport front, the govt is yet to enforce the shift of private-bus operators from Koyambedu to the new Mudichur terminus outside the city. The delay contributed to continued traffic snarls in and around Koyambedu and left the new operator, RR Agency, facing revenue losses of Rs 6.75 lakh a month. Every private bus parked at the terminus must pay Rs 150 a day.

“If the full capacity of 150 buses is utilised, we will get Rs 6.75 lakh. Now, just 20 buses are parked. We get around Rs 80,000, of which Rs 60,000 goes towards salary itself. The dormitories and lunch hall too are unused,” said Raghunathan Jayakumar, proprietor of the firm.

The transport dept’s joint commissioner said it took years for the buses to shift from Broadway to Koyambedu. “Now that all buses have shifted, people, too, must begin booking buses from Kilambakkam rather than Koyambedu,” he said.

Ambattur bus terminal commercial complex

Billed to streamline the Rs 300-crore ornamental fish trade in Kolathur, the new Rs 53-crore trade centre housed 188 shops. Of them, 151 were allotted but fewer than 10 are operational, leaving most shutters down and corridors largely deserted.

R Rajarajan, state president of TN aquarium fish breeders and sellers’ welfare association, said traders find the rent steep. “We operate similar-sized shops in Kolathur for Rs 10,000 a month. If the govt reduces rent by 20%, all shops will be occupied in three months,” he said.

Similar is the fate of Ambattur bus terminal commercial complex, which was upgraded at Rs 11.8 crore and inaugurated in Nov 2025. Though buses continue to operate from the terminal and depot, large portions of the complex—including shops, staff rooms, and public amenities—remain locked. CMDA member secretary G Prakash said the delay was due to pending operation and maintenance decisions. “Construction was completed. The operation and maintenance model is being finalised. A tender was floated, and the contract is expected to be awarded soon,” he said.