DHARMAPURI: Residents of Palacode urged the Town Panchayat to clear encroachments in and around the town bus stand.
Palacode town panchayat is one of the key business areas in the taluk. The area around the bus stand houses dozens of medium and large businesses. However, encroachment of the roads by vendors and other businesses for parking has resulted in severe traffic jams. Residents have also urged the town panchayat to take steps to clear the encroachments and ensure that commuters visiting here are not affected.
Speaking to TNIE, MG Saravanan from Palacode said, “Palacode bus stand is surrounded by key government buildings including banks and police stations. But due to the limited space available for the bus stand, there is little parking space. It has become a severe problem in recent years as most shops use the roads around the bus stand as private parking lots. The roadside vendors occupy the platforms and the docking area designated for buses. These worsen traffic problems. We urge the town panchayat to act. We have filed a petition in this regard."
Another resident K Rajkumar from Palacode said, “The number of encroachments by petty traders has increased over the years. Traffic jams result as vehicles are parked on the roads. No buildings in the vicinity of the bus stand have a parking area. The platforms at the bus stand have been taken over by encroachers. So efforts need to be taken to regulate the available space.” Officials in the Palacode Town panchayat were not reachable when TNIE attempted to contact.