Commuters in Thimiri town near Arcot in Ranipet will get their first bus terminus as more than 80 per cent of the new facility, including concrete flooring, bus bays, time keeper’s office, have been completed. The new terminus will be opened later this month.
Officials of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) said the terminus on the Arcot - Arani Main Road will help local commuters board buses till 11 p.m. every day.
Collector S. Valarmathi inspected the ongoing work and directed panchayat officials to speed up the process. She also asked TNSTC officials to give a list of buses that would halt inside the terminus once the facility is opened. The foundation stone for the terminus was laid by Minister for Handloom and Textiles R. Gandhi in April last year. “The new bus terminus will help us board buses on time. It will be a boon to students, office goers and pilgrims,” said K. Vasantha, a commuter.
Spread over 2.08 acres on the stretch, the ₹4 crore-terminus is being constructed by the Directorate of Town Panchayats.
Most government buses on the route do not halt at bus stops that do not have proper shelters and lighting. Commuters have to depend on private buses, which are overcrowded and take longer to reach destination due to many stoppings.
The new terminus will be the first such facility on the 10-km route between Arcot and Arani connecting at least 20 farming villages. On an average, the new terminus can handle at least 25,000 commuters a day. The terminus will be a major relief for devotees to Lord Murugan temple on the Kumaragiri hillock in Thimiri town as the temple gets more than one lakh devotees especially during Aadi Krithigai and other festivals.
