Renovation of bus terminus in Walajah begins

Dilapidated shops are being demolished at the bus terminus in Walajah near Ranipet as part of the renovation work by Walajahpet municipality.

Dilapidated shops are being demolished at the bus terminus in Walajah near Ranipet as part of the renovation work by Walajahpet municipality.

Municipal officials said 34 shops in the terminus were identified for demolition. Notices were issued to the traders to vacate the shops by the end of May. The aim is to provide more space for buses to halt at the terminus.

Most of these shops, which are 100-200 sq.ft in size each, have been in existence since 1969. “As the terminus is located at the centre of the town, relocation of the facility will be a hardship for commuters. So, we decided to make use of existing unused space in the terminus for its renovation,” S. Pounraj, commissioner in-charge, Walajahpet municipality, told The Hindu.

Funded under Kalaignar Nagarpura Membattu Thittam 2002-23, which aims to fulfil the infrastructural gaps in the urban local bodies, especially municipalities and town panchayats, the terminus will be renovated at a cost of ₹2.08 crore by the civic body.

The identified shops will help the civic body to extend the open space inside the terminus by at least 15 feet. This will help provide more bus shelters for commuters, who travel between districts, in the terminus.

Also, buses can be parked easily inside the terminus to pick up and drop commuters. Initially, the renovated terminus will have only 18 new shops. Other basic amenities that will be coming up at the terminus include purified drinking water, LED street lights, digital timing boards, mother’s feeding room, room for crew, police booth and CCTV cameras. The entire renovation work will be completed in six months.