The temporary bus stand at Solar Punjai Lakkapuram along Karur Bypass Road in Erode.
| Photo Credit: M. GOVARTHAN
A newly-developed temporary bus stand at Solar Punjai Lakkapuram will not be operational before Deepavali as no time frame has been fixed by officials yet.
Development and renovation works began at the Corporation’s central bus stand abutting Mettur and Sathy Road located in the core Erode city area in September 2021. To facilitate work and reduce congestion on the premises, the civic body began work to establish a temporary bus stand in Solar in August 2021 to operate buses heading towards south-bound districts, including Karur, Madurai and Tirunelveli. It spent over ₹8 crore to develop the bus stand that has two platforms, a transport office, a police station, an office room, drinking water and toilet facilities. Works were completed last year.
But private bus service operators association expressed concern about operating buses from the new facility as they feared their trips would be affected. The district administration held co-ordination meetings with officials from the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) and Regional Transport Office (RTO), private bus service operators, Police Department and a few other departments to make the bus stand operational. In November last year, the administration announced that 156 buses would be operated every day from the bus stand. However, stalemate continued and the facility remained unused for almost a year now.
Since special buses are operated during Deepavali, the existing bus terminal in the city witnesses congestion throughout the day that affects vehicle movement across the city. It is a long-pending demand of the public to operate the temporary facility developed at Solar.
A senior engineer at the Erode Corporation said a decision was yet to be taken and clarified that the temporary bus stand at Solar wouldl not function before Deepavali.