The Hindu : Political squabbles may derail the project

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 01, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

Political squabbles may derail the project

By S. Ganesan

TIRUCHI, JAN. 31 . The political squabbles within the Tiruchi Corporation Council over the move to acquire the railway land for the expansion of the central bus stand have put a question mark over the fate of the project that was expected to fulfil a long-felt need of the city.

Coming as it does after the Corporation laboured hard over the past few years to persuade the railways to part with 1.16 hectares of its land adjoining the bus stand, the city residents and civic officials were taken by surprise at the vehement opposition from the DMK councillors to the proposal at Friday's Council meeting. For, the DMK members, along with other elected representatives in the Council, had long been supporting the expansion of the bus stand, which is literally bursting at its seams.

On several occasions both within and outside the council, the DMK members have been consistently demanding that the Corporation take concrete steps to acquire the land from the railways, which was not favourably disposed to the transaction initially.

Corporation sources pointed out that protracted negotiations between the railways and the Corporation over the past five years had remained deadlocked until the Railway Minister, Nitish Kumar, during his recent visit to the city, intervened and agreed to the transaction. The Corporation had initiated the negotiations with the railways in 1999. While an agreement was reached on the value of the land, fixed at Rs.5.16 crores (Rs.403 a square feet), the talks ended in a stalemate, as the railways insisted that the Corporation pay Rs.1.25 crores towards the value of the buildings and the cost of the construction of new residential quarters. However, the Corporation offered only Rs. 26 lakhs.

A comprise formula was worked out in the presence of Mr. Nitish Kumar after the Mayor, Sarubala R.Tondaiman, and the MP, Dalit Ezhilmalai, put forward the Corporation's case before him. It was decided that the Corporation would pay Rs.50 lakhs for the construction of new quarters.

The total cost of the land acquisition worked out Rs.5. 66 crores, and it was planned to meet the cost from the Corporation's funds. Corporation officials were hoping that the deal would be sealed once the Railway Board and the Corporation Council cleared the transaction. By opposing the allocation, the DMK, which commands a majority in the Council, could derail the project, the sources apprehend.

Corporation officials see little justification in the DMK's demand that the civic body explore alternative sources of funding, or go in for a new bus stand at Panchapur on the city outskirts. Officials pointed out that the Corporation was pursuing a proposal for establishing an integrated bus stand at Devadhanam, and had even called for a consultancy report. The Corporation had no other option but to meet the expenditure from its own funds, as funding agencies did not extend credit or grants for acquiring lands. The Corporation could raise loans or grants only for the development of the bus stand, the sources said.

The central bus stand, spread over 4.37 acres, has proved inadequate to handle the ever-increasing volume of traffic. If expanded, it could serve the city well for the next five to six years. Even if an integrated bus stand were to be established, the central bus stand had to remain an essential part of the traffic system, and serve as a town bus stand.

If delayed, the project could meet the fate of the proposal for setting up a satellite bus stand on the Karur by-pass road, which had to be dropped owing to a steep escalation of land value and costs, the sources feared. It was essential that the Council took a quick decision, lest the election process should hold it up, they added.

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