THANJAVUR: Nearly two weeks have passed since the city corporation warned shopkeepers operating inside the old bus stand not to encroach on the passenger waiting area. But shopkeepers have ignored the warning. Officials said they are currently busy in the SIR work and can focus on the issue only after December 5.
The old bus stand was redeveloped under the smart city scheme at a cost of Rs 14.88 crore and opened for public use in December 2021. The facility has 39 bus bays, originally planned for the city buses operated from Thanjavur and the inter-city buses operated to Ariyalur.
A total of 40 shops are functioning inside the bus stand. But most of these have encroached upon pedestrian walkways forcing passengers to wait precariously in the bus bays. S Kumar of Vannarapettai, who travels for work daily from the bus stand, said passengers face a lot of inconvenience due to lack of space in the waiting area and shortage of seats. S Thamaraiselvan, general secretary of TNSTC workers union (AITUC) said buses have to navigate with caution as people crowd the bus bays.
“Added to this, more than 40 mini buses have recently been allowed to pass through the bus stand”, he said. Office bearers of all trade unions of TNSTC had appealed to the district administration to allot a separate bus stand for mini buses.
On November 5, Mayor S Ramanathan inspected the bus stand and instructed shop keepers to remove the encroachments. However, most of them are yet to comply. Two wheelers also continue to be parked inside the bus stand. When contacted, corporation officials said that they are engaged in SIR work, and an encroachment removal drive will be conducted after December 5.