With the opening of remodelled Chathiram bus stand, the traffic snarls in and around the satellite bus terminus in the city have begun to ease.
The bus stand was formally inaugurated by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday. After earmarking bays for buses bound for various destinations, the Tiruchi Corporation allowed buses to operate from the bus terminus on Tuesday. Minister for Municipal Administration K.N. Nehru and Minister for School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi flagged off the operation of buses at the remodelled bus stand.
A total of 30 bus bays have been created. While the southern wing has been allotted to the buses bound for the routes in southern, eastern and western parts of the city, northern wing will cater to various destinations in the northern parts of the city.
Buses bound for K.K. Nagar, Inamkulathur, Vayalur, Kuzhumani, Mathur, HAPP, OFT, Tiruverumbur, Thuvakudi and Somarasampettai are being operated from the southern wing, which has an entry and exit. Buses plying to rural and semi-urban destinations such as Anbil, Lalgudi, Samayapuram, Mannachanallur, Sirugambur, Vathalai, Thirupattur and Thirupanjeeli will start from the northern wing. Buses bound for Mukkombu, Sirugamani, Perugamani and Pettavaithalai are also allotted bays in the northern wing.
However, buses operating between Tiruchi Junction and Srirangam continue to halt on the roadside outside the bus stand. Similarly, long distance buses, mainly bound for Ariyalur, Perambalur, Thuraiyur and Ulundurpettai, also continue to operate from the sides of main road leading towards Mela Chinthamani.
Since passengers found it difficult to come to grips with the new arrangements, the bus crew helped them find their buses on Tuesday. In order to indicate the bus bays for various destinations, signboards had been placed. “In the absence of a well-established system for so long, the bus crew parked buses at their convenience in the Chathiram bus stand. The remodelled bus stand has addressed many issues. We can park our buses at the respective bays and take rest until the departure time. We notice some improvements in traffic management too,” said C. Muthukumar, a driver of a city bus.
Amenities available
Amenities such as drinking water, toilets for men and women, passenger waiting hall, a food court, timekeeper office and a police control room have also been established. “It is too early to comment on the amenities. However, we must agree that the city has got a well-established satellite bus stand after so many years,” said K. Senbagamoorthy, a passenger bound for Samayapuram.