Integrated bus terminus plan in limbo

Trichy: It seems that the residents have to wait for a few more years to see their long-pending demand for an integrated bus terminus (IBT) materialise. Even as the site identified at Kottapattu by the state government for IBT, a replacement for the existing bus stand, was dropped unofficially, an alternative initiative is yet to be mooted to decongest the city. While the authorities claim that the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) was approached to include Trichy in the ‘bus port’ project along with Salem and Madurai, it is learnt that there has been no follow-up action.

The central bus stand here acts as a gateway for seven districts to travel to the rest of the state as close to 2.50 lakh people use it daily. The 4.50-acre facility is inadequate to handle 3,750 bus services on a daily-basis as it often uses the 20-foot-wide adjacent Rockins Road to operate city buses. IBT was cited as a solution to the recurring snarl-ups due to the space crunch. Several locations were identified for setting up IBT in the past 20 years. But nothing has materialised so far.

While the DMK government in 2007 identified a site at Panchapur near Madurai highway, the ruling AIADMK government in 2017 named Kottapattu to set up the facility attracting objections from the public. Many termed Kottapattu as a wrong choice citing its proximity to Trichy airport and the central jail. Local people also alleged that due to political indifference, the AIADMK government had sidelined the Panchapur proposal despite it being ideal.

"Political parties should keep aside their political feud when implementing welfare projects," H Ghouse Baig, secretary, Consumer Protection Council, Ponmalai branch, said.

Recently Trichy corporation, while unofficially dropping the IBT plan at Kottapattu, said that it had approached the union ministry to press for its demand to include Trichy in the bus port project. "We have submitted a proposal to the ministry to include Trichy in the bus port scheme but we are yet to finalise the location," an official source with Trichy corporation said.

Source