Work on new bus terminus in Sholinghur town commences

Construction of a new modern bus terminus in Sholinghur town to accommodate increasing footfall and improve civic amenities.

Work to construct a new modern bus terminus in Sholinghur town near Ranipet at a cost of ₹4.66 crore commenced on Thursday.

Officials of Sholinghur municipality, which maintained the old facility built in 1994, said the steady increase in footfall, especially pilgrims from neighbouring States like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, has necessitated the civic body to build a new terminus with better civic amenities.

The work on the new terminus is the first major project taken up by the civic body after it was upgraded into a municipality from a town panchayat in 2021. “As the town witnesses a steady influx of pilgrims visiting the hillock temple from faraway places, a modern bus terminus will help them with an easy and safe commute to other pilgrim centres. The new bus facility will be ready by 2026,” M.S. Preethi, Commissioner In-charge, Sholinghur municipality, told The Hindu.

Minister for Handlooms and Textiles R. Gandhi laid the foundation stone for the construction of the bus terminus in the presence of Ranipet Collector J. U. Chandrakala. “The new facility will help at least 15-20 surrounding villages to transport farm produce to big towns like Arakkonam, Arcot, Walajah and Kancheepuram,” said K. Vembu, a commuter.

Municipal officials said that the new terminus, to be built on 1.77 acres, would have two waiting halls for the commuters, 10 bus bays, a commercial complex, parking lots, a public announcement system, digital time display boards, a time-keeper’s office, water and toilet facilities, and ramps for people with disabilities. CCTV cameras and solar-powered LED lights would also be installed.

At present, 120 buses, including 35 private buses, are being operated on the Sholinghur - Arakkonam Main Road, linking big towns, including Sholinghur, Arakkonam, Vellore, Ambur, Katpadi and Gudiyatham, through Walajah with over 350 services every day. These services halt at bus stops that do not have proper shelters and lighting.

As the town is a major pilgrim centre with the Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple on the hillock, the municipality plans to connect arterial roads with the new terminus to help commuters travel easily to other big towns and pilgrimage centres like Tirupathi, Tiruttani, Chittoor and Sripuram (Vellore) during festival seasons between November and January and during weekends.