Namakkal traders protest over bus stand issue, shops shut for a day

Traders in Namakkal protest bus stand changes, shutting shops to demand outstation buses enter Old Bus Stand.

Demanding that outstation buses operating from the New Bus Stand in Namakkal must also enter the Old Bus Stand, traders shut their shops on Monday in protest.

Recently, a new bus stand constructed at a cost of ₹19.50 crore in Mudalaipatti was opened to the public, and all outstation buses were shifted there. Meanwhile, town buses continue to operate from the Old Bus Stand. Buses heading to Tiruchi, Thuraiyur, and Mohanur pass by the Old Bus Stand but pick up passengers on the roadside instead of entering the stand.

Traders claimed this practice was impacting their business and demanded that all buses passing the Old Bus Stand be instructed to enter it. To press for this demand, traders called for a one-day shutdown of shops on Monday.

In response, all shops in areas around the Old Bus Stand, Namakkal Fort, Anjaneyar Temple, Park Road, Taluk Office Road, Government Hospital Road, Tiruchi-Namakkal Road, Namakkal-Thuraiyur Road, Mohanur-Senthamangalam Road, and Salem-Namakkal Road remained closed. Xerox shops, electrical shops, mobile shops, jewellery shops, and automobile spare parts shops joined the protest. Medical shops also supported the strike, closing their establishments for eight hours from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The shutdown disrupted daily life, affecting the public, school, and college students. Police were deployed at the bus stand premises to maintain order.