Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), Coimbatore, has agreed to shift its depots in Ukkadam.
According to sources, the decision to agree to the Coimbatore Corporation’s demand for shifting the depots was taken at a board meeting that was held on April 18, 2018.
The Coimbatore Corporation had sought shifting the Ukkadam bus stand and depots to take up development of the Valangulam tank, as part of its lake development project under the Central Government-funded Smart Cities Mission.
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At the time of placing the request for shifting the depots, the Corporation had said it would provide alternative land, near its Ukkadam sewage farm.
The sources said that the TNSTC board agreed, but with the condition that the Corporation bear the expenses for setting up the infrastructure.
An official, who was a board member, said the only condition that the TNSTC placed was the Corporation bear the expenses for constructing office, toilet and compound wall for the depots. And, this was mandatory because the TNSTC did not have the funds required to construct even the compound wall.
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Agreeing to the demand, Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner K. Vijayakarthikeyan, who is also a board member, said the Corporation would have no problem in bearing the expenditure, but he would have to take the Coimbatore Smart City Limited board as well.
Officials in the Corporation said the civic body should have no problem in financing the relocation of the depots to take up the lake development project.
The Corporation had envisaged development of Ukkadam Big Tank and Valangulam tank in the first phase and other tanks in the second phase.
The Ukkadam depots – Branch I and II – are spread over seven to eight acres and house 180 buses that ply to Palakkad, Podanur, Thudiyalur, Thondamuthur, Sundarapuram, Madukkarai, Kuniamuthur and a few other places.
The TNSTC had established the depots around 25 years ago.