Erode Corporation submits proposal for new bus stand near Kanirowther Lake

Erode Corporation proposes new bus stand near Kanirowther Lake on Sathy Road to reduce city road congestion.

The Erode Corporation has submitted a proposal to the State government to establish a new bus stand near Kanirowther Lake on Sathy Road at ₹138.44 crore, including the cost for land acquisition.

The Corporation’s existing Central Bus Terminal, established in 1973, is located in the core city area abutting Mettur and Sathy Road from where 4,100 bus services comprising city, mofussil and intercity buses are operated every day. The Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Erode Local Planning Area, submitted by the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL), called for establishing satellite bus stands at Solar and Sathy Road to reduce congestion on city roads.

Currently, work on a ₹63.50 crore bus terminal at Solar Punjai Lakkapuram is nearing completion and is expected to be operational in a few months. Buses towards districts such as Karur, Tiruchi, Madurai and Kanniyakumari will be operated from the new terminal.

Likewise, the civic body plans to establish another bus terminal near the lake and 13.81 acres of private land was identified two years ago. The initial price quoted by land owners was ₹136.15 crore and Minister for Housing and Urban Development S. Muthusamy held talks with the land owners after which the price was reduced to ₹59.38 crore. The district administration submitted a proposal to the Commissionerate of Land Administration seeking permission to acquire the land while a proposal was also submitted to the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department for approval. While the land will be acquired at ₹59.38 crore, the terminal will be developed at ₹85 crore.

City Engineer T. Vijayakumar told The Hindu that land acquisition will begin after approval from the State-level sanction committee. A detailed project report (DPR) has been prepared and after finalising the project cost, a tender will be floated to finalise the contractor, he said. The process will take a minimum of three months, after which work will commence.

Buses to Gobichettipalayam, Sathyamangalam, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Salem, Namakkal, Tiruppur and Coimbatore can be operated from the proposed terminal. “A joint committee comprising district administration, Corporation, transport, police, revenue and bus operators will decide on the routes to be operated from the terminal,” he said. Once the terminal at Solar and the planned terminal on Sakthi Road becomes operational, the existing central terminal will be used only to operate city buses, he added.