Pic by G. Moorthy
Tamil Nadu Minister for Cooperation ‘Sellur’ K. Raju on Saturday said that some hardship to the public was unavoidable during the rebuilding of Periyar bus stand in Madurai under the Smart Cities Mission.
Addressing media during the inauguration of a park at Ramanasri Garden in Kovalan Nagar, he said that the public will gladly accept these hardships keeping in mind the development of the city in the long run.
Periyar bus stand, the crucial hub for town buses in the city, was closed last week to commence the construction of a new bus terminal at a cost of around ₹ 150 Crore. Concerns had been raised over the alternative arrangements made for the construction that is expected to take at least 18 months.
Mr. Raju, however, added that Madurai Corporation and the district administration were making all possible alternative arrangements to ensure that the difficulties to the public were reduced to maximum extent possible. “Even for the shops located inside the bus stand, we have provided alternative places to set up shops temporarily till the construction is over,” he added.
The minister earlier inaugurated a newly constructed park at Ramanasri Garden at a cost of ₹ 65.91 lakh and measuring 23,760 square feet. Highlighting that the park had features like railings along the walking trail to assist elders, he said that it also had space for performing yoga and meditation, and children’s play area. “The local residents have come forward to take care of the maintenance of the park,” he said.
Another new park at a cost of ₹ 63.81 lakh, measuring 20,138 square feet, was inaugurated at Singarayar Colony. Collector S. Natarajan and Madurai Corporation S. Aneesh Sekhar were also present during the inauguration.
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