Demolition of the old bus terminus underway in Sholingur

After three decades in existence, the old bus terminus in Sholinghur town near Ranipet is being demolished to build a swanky modern terminus at a cost of Rs 20 crore.

Officials of the Sholinghur municipality, which has undertaken demolition work of the old terminus that was built in 1994, said that the steady increase of visitors especially pilgrims from neighbouring States like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka has necessitated the civic body to construct a new terminus with additional amenities for commuters.

“Shops in the old terminus are also being demolished. Temporary shelters are provided for commuters to board buses until a new facility was built in the same premises,” P.C. Hemalatha, commissioner, Sholinghur municipality, told The Hindu.

At present, the old terminus covers around one acre of land. More than 100 shops are located in the terminus. Along with shops, timekeepers office, office rooms, old bus bays and other facilities are being razed. The demolition work will be completed in the coming weeks before preliminary work for new bus terminus commences. “The new terminus with additional facilities is required as many pilgrims could not find adequate buses in the old terminus to go to other places,” said S. Divya, a commuter.

Municipal officials said that the new terminus will help commuters from at least 10-15 surrounding villages to travel to various places. As per plan, the new terminus will be built on a 3.5 acre plot. Additional open space from the adjacent community hall will be acquired for the purpose. The new spacious terminus will have a waiting hall for commuters, bus bays, a commercial complex, parking lots, a public announcement system, digital time display boards, a time-keeper’s office, water taps, toilets and ramps for people with disabilities. It will also have CCTV cameras. LED lights will be solar-powered.

At present, 120 buses, including 35 private buses, are operated on the Sholinghur – Arakkonam Main Road, linking big towns, including Sholinghur, Arakkonam, Vellore, Ambur, Katpadi and Gudiyatham, through Walajah with over 350 trips every day.

As the town is a major pilgrim centre due to Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple atop the hillock, the municipality plans to connect arterial roads with the new terminus to help commuters to easily commute to other big towns and pilgrimage centres. 

In terms of revenue generation, the civic body also plans to double its existing shops into 200 shops with lodging facilities on the first floor of the commercial complex in the new terminus. The lodging facility at the terminus will help pilgrims from other places for cheap accommodation and easy travel, municipal officials said. 

A farming town, Sholinghur consists of 27 wards covering 9.50 sq.km. It has a population of 1.13 lakh persons, who are mostly dependent on farming and small business.