CHENNAI: Housing and urban development minister K. Radhakrishnan on Thursday announced that the Vandalur mofussil bus terminus plan had been scrapped and said the mofussil bus stand for south-bound buses would come up at Guduvanchery. The minister also announced a ‘Central Square scheme’ near the Central railway station to integrate all the transport system in the area. The Central Square at a cost of Rs 389 crore would make the people’s journey easy and safe, besides saving time, he said and added that it would become a landmark in the city.
Replying to the discussion on demand for grants to his ministry, the minister said the earlier proposal of constructing the bus stand near the GST and Outer Ring Road was announced on April 30, 2013. But, due to the amendments brought in the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition and Resettlement Act, the proposal had been dropped.
Instead, alternate lands, which belong to the government and HR and CE at Nadhivaram-Guduvanchery had been identified and works for transferring the land to the CMDA are going on, he said. Besides, another bus terminus would be constructed at Madhavaram to reduce the traffic congestion at Koyambedu. The construction of the bus stand would be completed in two years, he added.
The minister said a network of roads would be laid near the Outer Ring Road to enhance transport facilities for the city people and reduce journey time. The government had announced in 2014 that government buildings would be built in Koyambedu and the detailed project report for the buildings had been prepared. The government had planned to set up facilities for sports when new residential buildings are constructed in the city. Six schemes to provide sports facilities at a cost of '152 crore would be implemented by the city corporation and administrative sanction had been granted for it, the minister said.
