SALEM: Residents and transport users in Salem have once again demanded the setting up of a bus port for the city, a project that was announced during the previous AIADMK government but did not take off.
The Salem New Bus Stand, one of the key bus terminals in Tamil Nadu connecting several parts of the state, remains crowded for most of the day due to heavy footfall. On an average day, nearly 1,000 government buses and 340 private buses operate from the terminal. During weekends and holidays, around 250 special buses are added to manage the rush.
Officials said the daily footfall at the bus stand is around 75,000 passengers and can go up to nearly one lakh during weekends and festive seasons. Salem also serves as an important transit point where commuters change buses to travel to cities such as Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Ooty, Tiruchy, Madurai, Kumbakonam, Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai, Chidambaram, Puducherry, Chennai, Tirupati, Chittoor and Vellore.
However, the bus stand has only around 80 bus bays, which passengers say is not sufficient to accommodate the large number of buses operating from the terminal. As a result, buses often occupy most parts of the premises, leaving little space for passengers to move freely. During peak hours, weekends and holidays, the situation becomes chaotic both inside and outside the bus stand, they said.
Residents also pointed out that there is no designated stand for omni buses, which leads to private omni buses using available space inside the new bus stand, further adding to congestion.
The previous government had proposed setting up a bus port near Jahir Ammapalayam to ease congestion at the existing terminal. However, the project did not progress further.
Dhaneesh Ram MV, a native of Salem and a Ph.D. scholar, said the demand for a bus port has remained one of the key requirements for the city. "Considering the number of buses operating from Salem, the government should consider establishing another terminal. The existing bus stand does not have enough space to accommodate buses or passengers, and the earlier proposal should be revived," he said.
Salem District Revenue Officer R Ravikumar said that the bus port proposal was announced earlier and land had also been identified, but the project did not take off. "At present, we are exploring other options. There is a vacant ground adjacent to the new bus stand where book fairs and exhibitions are usually held, and buses are currently using that space. We are examining whether that land can be used as a bus terminal," he said.
A senior official in the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) admitted that the bus stand faces congestion due to the large number of buses operating from there. "As per the district administration's instructions, we are currently using the vacant land near the new bus stand to manage the rush," the official added.