Absence of depot near Tirpur new bus stand costs TNSTC dear

Tirupur: The Tamil Nadu state transport corporation (TNSTC) is shelling out extra money for 4,000 litres of diesel per month for about 90 buses operated from new bus stand in Tirupur as it is yet to set up a bus depot near the terminus.
The TNSTC Tirupur zone of Coimbatore division has been operating more than 90 from new bus stand to various places including Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Trichy, Kumbakonam, Erode, Coimbatore and Mettupalayam daily. However, due to non-availability of land in the locality to establish a bus depot, about 60 buses have been travelling extra 13km per day to Tirupur I and Tirupur II depots near Kangeyam Road. Another 25 buses are being stationed at Palladam, Kangeyam and Dharapuram depots.

“The buses which are bound to Palladam, Kangeyam and Dharapuram depots would have to take empty trips due to the absence of depot. These ‘dead kilometres’ drink up at least 4,000 liters of extra diesel every month,” P Chelladurai, general secretary of TNSTC employees’ union-CITU Tirupur zone said.

“If a depot were available nearby, it would also help the transport corporation to take prompt decision to operate extra buses,” he said.

Muthukrishnan, commercial manager, TNSTC Tirupur zone, said, “The corporation had proposed to set up a bus terminus at Kovilvazhi, so that southern and central district bound buses could be operated from there. It was yet to be taken up. The city corporation should set up a depot which would reduce diesel expenditure of the TNSTC.”

Corporation commissioner K Sivakumar told TOI, “In case of Kovilvazhi bus stand proposal, the civic body could not find any land in that locality. There should be 10 acres for the bus stand, so we were searching for the appropriate place.”