The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : New bus stand for Pollachi still a mirage

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 17, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Others

New bus stand for Pollachi still a mirage

By V.S. Palaniappan

POLLACHI, SEPT. 16. Thanks to the inordinate delay faced in alienation of land, a new bus stand for the coconut town of Pollachi continues to remain a mirage.

With no solution in sight, the public continue to wade through the congested bus stand.

On an average 400 to 600 buses arrive and depart from here.

During peak hours there is a long queue of buses waiting outside for parking bay and these contributed heavily for the traffic snarl in the area, resulting in noise and air pollution.

To tide over the situation, the previous Municipal Council proposed a new bus stand on Coimbatore Road.

Proposal modified

But the new council chairman, A. Venkatachalam, which took over about three years ago, modified the proposal and suggested the construction just opposite to the existing one.

The council contended that the site identified by the previous council was away from the town and argued that passengers would be forced to board more than one bus for undertaking any journey.

The council identified 1.89 acres of land belonging to the Police and Revenue department in the heart of the town just across the existing bus stand. To compensate the departments for the land, the Pollachi Municipal Council resolved to give away equal extent of land, which would be equal in terms of the value as well, Municipality sources said.

The Municipality had agreed to give away equal extent of land at Mahalingapuram and at Venkatesa Colony with a building compensating the Revenue and Police department.

Awaiting final nod

With the proposal for transfer of land getting cleared by the respective departments, the papers relating to land alienation are waiting for the final nod from the State Government. The chairman expressed resentment over the delay at a recent review meeting of local body representatives.

The District Collector, S. Kosalaraman, and the District Revenue Officer, M. Karunakaran, had assured to bring about a solution.

The Municipal Commissioner, K. Feroze Khan, and the Municipal Engineer, B. Rammurthy, have already finalised a blue print for the construction of the bus stand at an outlay of Rs. 1.55 crores which would give the congested area a breather.

The Tamil Nadu Urban Financial Infrastructure Development Corporation had already expressed a sanction in principle for the bus stand because of the sound financial viability of the project. Once the procedural formalities are over, the tenders would be called for and the work would begin and funding never a constraint, the official sources pointed out.

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