DHARMAPURI: After 46 years, the Dharmapuri municipality constructed a new bus stand at a cost of Rs 39.14 crore and inaugurated it on Thursday. However, the reduced frequency of buses between Oddapatti and Four Roads is causing inconvenience to residents.
To tackle traffic congestion in municipality limits, the state government had constructed and inaugurated a new bus stand near Sogathur. With this, new routes were designed for buses from Salem, Krishnagiri, Chennai, Tirupattur and other districts. Even local buses have been rerouted to the new bus stand. This has left the old bus stand largely empty, with a major reduction in buses passing through. Further, residents are urging the buses from Chennai, Harur, and Tirupattur to make a stop at the old bus stand and to designate more buses to run between Oddapatti and Four Roads junction.
B Sundar from Pidamineri said, "Most buses do not enter municipality limits under the newly-decided routes. Oddapatti and Four Road Junction have now become a key transit point. This has resulted in nearby areas facing severe traffic congestion. The Kumarasamypettai roads are narrow, and traffic is affected. Connectivity to the new bus stand is also poor. Buses from Salem should be allowed to pass through the municipal limits, and buses plying on the Harur route, specifically from Chennai, Tirupattur, and Vellore, should be allowed to depart from the old bus stand, to reduce congestion."
Meanwhile, residents also alleged poor bus services between Oddapatti and Four Roads via the collectorate area. Commenting on this, N Anandkumar from Elakkiyampatti said, "From Dharmapuri to Salem, there are sufficient buses, as these routes are designated to pass through the municipality. However, from the municipality to the new bus stand, there are fewer buses, and at night, services are even lower in number. We urge the RTO to ensure more buses operate at night."
Residents also urged the district administration to take steps to at least improve minibus services or facilitate share auto services from the municipality areas in Oddapatti to the new bus stand.
When TNIE contacted RTO CK Jayadevaraj, he was not available. However, other officials said that the concerns will be addressed soon. "As the new bus stand has only just opened, people have not adjusted to the changes," they added. "We are also planning revised routes based on feedback."