Nearly four decades after the setting up of the first bus terminus, Tiruvannamalai town will soon get another spacious terminus as work on the ₹30.15-crore facility on Chennai-Tindivanam Road, maintained by the State Highways, has begun a few days ago.
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Increasing number of visitors to the temple town was a major reason for the construction of the new terminus as the facility would be able to handle more commuters. Currently, the terminus handles more than 400 buses, which are mostly operated by Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), and over three lakh commuters every day from the cramped premises.
During festival days and weekends, the number of travellers increases by at least 25%. “During Maha Deepam and other festivals, the terminus finds it challenging to handle lakhs of commuters, who come to the temple town from different parts of the country. So, we have decided to construct a new terminus on the outskirts as it will ease the traffic movement in the town,” K. Murugesan, Commissioner, Tiruvannamalai Municipality, told The Hindu.
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After two years of paperwork, the municipality was able to get 6.6 acres of land from the Department of Agriculture that has a defunct oil manufacturing unit of Tamil Nadu Co-operative Oil Seeds Growers Federation Limited (TANCOF) for ₹3.99 crore for the new terminus. Eight buildings of the defunct unit and over a dozen trees are being removed from the premises to construct the new facility. The existing open terminus near the Collectorate is set up on only two acres with limited facilities.
As per plan, the terminus, which will be built by Tiruvannamalai municipality, will have commuters’ waiting hall, bus bays, commercial complex, parking lots, public announcement system, digital timing boards, time keeper’s office, water taps, toilets and ramps for commuters with disabilities. The terminus will also have CCTV cameras to provide better surveillance. LED lights within the new facility will be solar powered. A police outpost will also be set up. The entire work is expected to be completed in 2024.
Unlike the existing terminus, the new facility will connect all three arterial stretches from Chennai, Madurai and Bengaluru with the town. Further, the new facility is much closer to the 14-km-long girivalam path than the existing terminus, which is at least two km away from the path. Visitors, especially women and senior citizens, have to walk from the terminus to the girivalam path.