TN planning satellite inter-city bus terminal in Vandalur

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

After the proposed satellite inter-city bus terminals in Madhavaram and Velachery are hit over land and feasibility issues, the state government is now setting its sight on Vandalur to set up a satellite intercity bus terminal.

Sources told Express that the proposal is in an initial stage and site selection is going on in Vandalur.

Interestingly, this comes in the wake of a feasibility report not being favourable in setting up Rs 32 crore satellite inter-city bus terminal in Madhavaram and lack of adequate land in setting up another satellite bus terminal in Velachery. The proposal for Velachery satellite bus terminal and Madhavaram inter state bus terminal were announced during the budget session last year.

The plan to develop a satellite intercity bus terminal in Velachery was delayed due to proposed monorail station in the area and lack of adequate land to set up the satellite bus terminal.

“We require 50 acres of land to set up the bus terminal. So now the plan is to focus on Vandalur where land is available,” the source added.

Interestingly, the government had earlier accorded sanction to Velachery satellite bus terminal to ease the traffic congestion in Koyambedu. The project, which was to be taken up by Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, was likely to come up at the site near the MRTS station measuring about 12 acres.

The blow to the proposal came when monorail station was proposed at the site. As a result CMDA has put on hold the commissioning of feasibility study for satellite inter-city bus terminal after ascertaining the availability of the requirements of the mono rail station proposed at the location.

Meanwhile, the proposal to have bus terminal in Madhavaram has been put on hold after the feasibility report was not favourable due to congestion in Inner Ring Road. Sources said the proposal to have the satellite inter-city bus terminal in Mdhavaram has not been dropped. The feasibility report was not favourable as there was lot of truck movement and vehicular congestion in the area. “The bus junction need lot of movement, so the feasibility report was not favourable,” said the source. But then it does not mean the proposal to have satellite bus terminal in Madhavaram will not materialize, he added.

“We have kept it pending for six more months till highways department acquires land parallel to existing inner ring road and builds a highway linking the port. Once it is done then the congestion in the inner ring road will ease,” the source added. The bus terminal in Madhavaram was to cater to buses from Andhra Pradesh and northern areas.