The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has reiterated to the owners of 23 shops jotting the premises of its Central bus station at Thampanoor that it intends to construct a wall to secure the prime property. The decision was conveyed to the shop owners housed on the western bank of the Amayizhanjan canal that runs close to the KSRTC premises.
The shop owners and the local unit of the KVVES objected to the move by the KSRTC to include the canal on its premises and construct the boundary wall. At a meeting held on Thursday, it was pointed out that the boundary wall would isolate the shops and deny commuters from the bus station entry to the shops. However, the KSRTC parked its buses along the demarcation till late on Thursday night, preventing the movement of commuters to the shops.
Suresh Babu, KVVES vice president, said the KSRTC had resorted to this step when the shop owners had taken up the issue with the Transport Minister and the District Collector. “The land housing the shops belongs to us. We have title deeds. We paid for the access to these shops,” he said.
A KSRTC official said they were going ahead with the decision to construct the boundary wall and would provide gates for commuters to reach the shops. “If we are lax, we will lose 32 cents from the prime property,” the official said.
