Installation of escalator at Salem Two-tier bus stand nearing completion

Salem's two-tier bus stand, Muthamizh Aringnar Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi Nootrandu Managara Perunthu Nilaiyam, is nearing completion with the installation of an escalator at a cost of ₹2.30 crore.

The installation of an escalator at Muthamizh Aringnar Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi Nootrandu Managara Perunthu Nilaiyam two-tier bus stand at a cost of ₹2.30 crore is nearing completion.

The two-tier bus stand was built on the premises of the Old Bus Stand, which was demolished under the Smart City Mission, at a cost of ₹96.53 crore, with 29 shops and 26 bus bays on the ground floor and 47 shops and 26 bus bays on the first floor. On June 11, this year, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated the bus stand and named it Muthamizh Aringnar Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi Nootrandu Managara Perunthu Nilaiyam. After completion of minor works, buses will start operation from the stand in the third week of June.

Buses plying to Gurusamipalayam, Vaikundam, Magudanchavadi, Rasipuram, Parapatti, Mallasamudram, Mallur, Attaiyampatti, Vazhapadi, Ayothiyapattinam, Akkaraipatti, Belur, Kannankurichi, and Yercaud Foothills will operate from the ground floor of the bus stand, and buses plying to Elampillai, Perumagoundampatti, Jalakandapuram, Salem Junction, Tharamangalam, Nangavalli, Vanavasi, Vellalapatti, Omalur, Thinnapatti, Muthunaickenpatti, and Tholasampatti will operate from the first floor.

For the benefit of the general public, two lifts are available to reach the first floor of the bus stand from the ground floor. But passengers claimed it was not adequate for them. While hundreds of people move to the first floor, only a few can use the lift at a time, and the others use the stairs during the morning and evening hours. Following this, the Salem Corporation initiated the installation of escalator works at the bus stand on December 15.

Salem Corporation officials said that work on the escalator will be completed before the fourth week of January 2024. The facility is provided at a cost of ₹2.30 crore. Similarly, shops in the bus stand will also start to function soon, and at that time, the remaining lifts will also start to function, which will help more passengers move to the ground and first floors of the bus stand, officials added.