ith Tiruchi having been selected in the Smart City list and the exercise of ascertaining suggestions from public under way, the clamour for an integrated bus stand has surfaced yet again.
Notwithstanding repeated demands from public from all walks of life for an integrated bus stand, the plea continues to remain unaddressed much to their disappointment.
Given the rise in the number of bus services and the chaos at the central bus stand and its vicinity, the buzz about smart city has triggered the vociferous demand for an integrated bus stand from the residents.
Spread over eight acres, the central bus stand is bursting at its seams.
A fleet of private buses being operated from the bus stand’s vicinity aggravates the problem during holidays and extended weekends.
Dotted with a chain of commercial establishments in its vicinity and serving as a terminal for the city buses, the existing bus stand is grossly inadequate to meet the growing demand for more services, say residents.
The bus stand area often gets choked with vehicles. The situation turns worse during holidays and festive seasons when passenger traffic peaks. Lack of consensus over the choice of alternative site for a new bigger bus stand has been a stumbling block in solving the problem.
A senior Transport Department official said the number of departures of TNSTC buses from the central bus stand was 2,500 on an average every day.
The space would become grossly insufficient in the long run given the increase in services and movement of passengers, the official said suggesting that a sprawling site either towards the Chennai-side or Madurai-side could be identified for setting up the integrated bus terminus with a separate site for private buses. The shifting of the bus stand would ease congestion within the city limits, he added.
Now that Tiruchi is set to get the Smart City tag, the long-pending demand of having an integrated bus stand should find a place in the plan, said M. Sekaran, president, Federation of Consumer and Service Organisations.
It is time planners seriously take note of the integrated bus stand demand as a permanent solution to ease congestion, said Mr. Sekaran, member of the Road Safety Committee.
There is a need to set up an integrated bus stand given the spike in the number of services over the years from different districts to Tiruchi, says D.R. Dharmaraj, secretary, Federation of Bus Operators’ Associations of Tamil Nadu.
The Smart City plan should incorporate the long-pending demand of an integrated bus stand, he suggested and added that Tiruchi could be made a Smart City by having this facility in the interest of its residents.
Civic body sources said they had come across several representations from the public seeking an integrated bus stand in Tiruchi while eliciting suggestions from them for turning Tiruchi into a Smart City. It remains to be seen whether the citizens’ demand would be heeded.
There is a need to set up an integrated bus stand given the spike in the number of services over the years
