Long distance travellers were relieved as the ₹53.13-crore new bus terminus on the Chennai - Bengaluru Highway (NH 48) in Vellore has started functioning on Saturday.
Accompanied by Mayor Sujatha Anandakumar, Minister for Water Resources Duraimurugan, flagged off the buses to Chennai and Bengaluru, to mark the beginning of operation of the terminus. Saturday’s flagging off ceremony was held after over a fortnight since the Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, inaugurated the facility during his visit to the fort town on June 29. However, commuters had to board buses at the bus stop on the service lane of the highway or at the old bus depot near the fort on the Old Bangalore Road due to incompletion of a few basic amenities including construction of stormwater drain in the terminus.
“The opening of the terminus has helped us in boarding buses safely, especially at night. Operation of town buses from the terminus will help us reach places within the town,” said S. Kavitha, a commuter.
The terminus has 84 bus bays, 82 shops, three food courts, 11 waiting halls each having a capacity of at least 75 persons and two lifts to reach bus bays on the first floor. Separate restrooms have also been built for commuters with disabilities. A multi-level parking lot with a capacity to park at least 100 vehicles, mainly two-wheelers, is also part of the facilities available at the new terminus. On an average, over 75,000 commuters use the temporary bus terminus in the town every day. Ramps for the physically challenged were also built in the new terminus, which will be solar powered. The entire facility also comes under CCTV surveillance.
Currently, 64 buses can be parked on the available bus bays in the terminus. As a parking fee, the civic body collects ₹15 for each bus, including those from other States per day for the maintenance of the facility. “We are bringing in the proposed amenities one after another in the new terminus on a priority basis. We will also get feedback from commuters on the facilities at the terminus,” said P. Ashok Kumar, Commissioner, Vellore City Corporation.
On the occasion, Collector P. Kumaravel Pandian, S. Rajesh Kannan, SP (Vellore), MLAs P. Karthikeyan (Vellore), A.P. Nandakumar (Anaicut), elected representatives, Corporation officials and residents participated.
