Bus depot land: MLA asks Madras High Court to order government pay Rs 8 lakh
Chennai: A DMK MLA has approached the Madras high court to direct the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (Villupuram) to pay Rs 8 lakh towards the cost of the land at Chithrachur village, Gingee taluk, Villupuram district, for establishing a bus depot to enable the farmers and other villagers from more than 12 villages to reach Ananthapuram town panchayat to sell and buy goods.
The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M. Sundar before whom the PIL filed by K.S. Masthan, a DMK MLA, came up for hearing, directed the state government and TNSTC to file their counters within 3 three weeks, and rejoinder if any, be filed within one week thereafter.
According to petitioner, Ananthapuram town panchayat was located within the Gingee constituency of which, he was the MLA now. Agriculturists from surrounding villages and also people from the other areas use to access the Ananthapuram town panchayat for selling their products and buying domestic goods, thereby, the said town panchayat was acting as a hub for nearby villages. The government offices, including registration office were located at the town panchayat. Although 22 town buses and 9 mofussil buses were operated earlier, the town panchayat lacked connectivity.
However, in the last two years, the TNSTC has reduced the number of buses plying to the town panchayat. Due to continuous demand from the public, the authorities concerned have granted permission for establishing a bus depot at the said town panchayat and the land was also allotted for the said purpose, he added.
He said the Villupuram district collector had directed the TNSTC to pay Rs 8 lakh towards the cost of 0.89.0 hectares of land in Chithrachur village. In the event of the amount not being paid within 6 months, the land will be taken back by the government. He also informed the TNSTC that he was ready to allot funds from his MLA fund for the establishment of the new bus depot at Ananthapuram Town Panchayat, yet the TNSTC was not acting diligently. Therefore, he filed the present PIL, he added.
