New Vellore bus stand to get more passenger-friendly facilities

VELLORE: The new bus stand inaugurated recently by Chief Minister MK Stalin in August will get additional facilities following an inspection of the premises by a team led by Vellore Collector Kumaravel Pandian on Wednesday.

Travelling public had been irked by the lack of facilities, including shops and hotels. “For even buying a bottle of water we have to go outside the bus stand,” said Gnanaprakasam, a traveller bound for Chidambaram.

“What was the urgent need to inaugurate the facility when not even half of the work was completed,” asked Vellore District Consumer Forum president K Sathiyamoorthy. “The inauguration could have been undertaken after the facility was provided with all the facilities,” he added.

In fact, though Tiruchy/Tiruvannamalai bound buses have started operating from the new facility, the SETC time keeper sits at a wooden table without even a fan while two nearby cubbyholes had no power connection and were dark when DT Next reporter visited the spot, on Tuesday.

Mayor Sujatha Anandakumar, Commissioner S Ashok Kumar and SP S Rajesh Kannan accompanied Collector Kumaravel Pandian during the inspection of the terminus.

After inspection, the Collector announced that central median at the entrance would be removed to facilitate entry of buses from the Katpadi side, while shops would be auctioned at the earliest. Stagnating water at the entrance from the green circle side would also be removed permanently, Kumaravel Pandian added.

The Corporation Commissioner was also tasked with providing four ATMs for the benefit of the passengers while town buses bound for Katpadi from Bagayam, which now offloaded passengers at the rear exit would in future be asked to enter the terminus, officials said.