TIRUCHY: Even as the corporation overcomes condemnation for missing deadlines to complete the Panjappur integrated bus terminus on the outskirts of the city, Tiruchy residents seek its attention to know the progress of the Rs 1-crore project to demolish and reconstruct the Central Bus Stand that was announced in the 2023-24 budget.
According to the corporation’s 2023-24 budget, the Central Bus Stand would be demolished and converted into a multi-storeyed building, with the bus stand operating on the ground floor and government offices in the other floors. The move is expected to help those visiting the city from other parts of the district or nearby districts to access the government offices. N Sethupathy, an elderly resident of Annamalai Nagar, said, "It was a welcoming move to reconstruct the Central Bus Stand, which occupies a prime location in the city. The corporation, however, has to clarify whether the project has been dropped and the fund allocation for it has been diverted for any other purpose."
On the project, Maniyan, a farmer from Lalgudi, said, "It would have been of great help for many like me who need to visit the collectorate to get details of various schemes. At present, I have to bear the transportation costs for reaching Tiruchy from Lalgudi and an additional fare for reaching the collectorate. I reached the city by Pallavan Express and paid Rs 60. But the auto driver charged about Rs 100 for a ride from the Tiruchy railway junction to the collectorate, which is hardly 2 km away. If the government offices were operating out of the Central Bus Stand, the entire transportation costs would come under Rs 100.”
When enquired, a senior corporation official said that the original fund allocation for the Central Bus Stand project will be reallocated in the 2025-26 budget. “The earlier plan will be implemented with some modification, and it is currently under the consideration of the state government. The whole operational area of the Central Bus Stand would come to about four acres. As the matter is likely to be presented in the upcoming budget, we cannot comment further on it."