DHARMAPURI: The Dharmapuri Municipality will soon be developing the town and moffusil bus stand at a cost of Rs 1.34 crores. Over 325 shops that are under its control in the bus stand will also be renovated. The bus stand was constructed in 1980 on a 5.25-acre area, and has 52 bus bays. Over time, the facility has become damaged. Also, it is not able to cater to the rise in traffic and passenger footfalls.
Commenting on the situation of the bus stand, P Sundar, a shop owner, said, The bus stand is over 40 years old and needs to be upgraded at the earliest. The number of people who use the bus stand has increased significantly and the number of buses has also increased. Further, the buildings surrounding the bus stand owned by the municipality are in bad shape.Apart from this, there is a severe lack of space in the bus stand for commuters to park or even wait for buses.”
K Palani, a TNSTC driver, said,”On average every hour over 70 buses depart from here, so there is severe traffic congestion within the bus stand. Moreover, the poor parking in the bus stand affects bus movement.”
Municipality Commissioner Chitra Sugumar said, The municipality owns 325 shops in the vicinity of the bus stand and these shops will be renovated. Most of these shops are weathered and need major repairs. Further, the platforms are also broken in certain places and in need of renovation. Further, the bus stand will be elevated, due to the roads outside the bus stand being elevated the rainwater damages are significant, and this will also be corrected.
Chitra added, “Commuters waiting for buses also have no place to rest, so new benches will be placed in both the town and mofussil bus stands. Overall we will be improving all the aspects and undertaking massive renovation works.”