The omni bus stand functioning close to the Central Bus Stand in the city has been closed after the Railways took possession of the two-acre land following the expiry of lease period.
A notice put up by the Railways at the entrance, which were barricaded using tin sheets, said that since the lease period expired on April 30 the site has come under the control of the Railway administration.
The omni bus stand became functional in 2018 when a private person took the piece of land on lease. Omni bus operators were using the bus stand paying rent to the lessee. Till then, in the absence of an exclusive terminus in the city, the private operators had been occupying most of the available road space surrounding the Central Bus Stand.
Only a few of them have their own office and parking space. Others inevitably parked their vehicles in the Central Bus Stand area, causing severe traffic congestion. The establishment of the bus stand was seen as a welcome development then.
With the closure of the bus stand now, the private operators would return to the roadsides around the central bus stand. With an integrated bus stand coming up at Panchapur, Tiruchi Corporation is unlikely to go in for a temporary arrangement to accommodate the omni buses exclusively
Commissioner of Police G. Karthikeyan said a collective decision with regard to parking space for the omni buses would be taken soon in consultation with the stakeholders.
