Tiruchi ignored

City residents have expressed dismay over the absence of any announcement with respect to establishment of an integrated bus stand in Tiruchi in the State budget. The absence of any mention on the long-pending demand for establishing an integrated bus stand in Tiruchi was a big let-down, they felt.

Despite repeated promises by the corporation and the State government, a plan for an integrated bus stand has not been finalised for over 25 years. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, while taking part in the MGR centenary celebration in Tiruchi in 2017, announced that an integrated bus stand would be established at Kottapattu. However, the project did not materialise, pointed out M. Sekaran, president, Federation of Consumer and Service Organisations. ‘The city is represented by two ministers, and several MLAs and MPs. Why have they not pushed for it,’ he wondered.

A step-motherly treatment has been meted out to the city some said. Former Chief Minister MGR toyed with an idea of making the city a second capital. But now elected representatives have failed to represent the issue. Temporary bus stands being established during every festival season has become a permanent feature over the past five years, said H.Ghouse Baig, a civic activist.

N. Ramakrishnan, another civic activist, said following the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, the city has seen no improvement. ‘The focus is on Madurai, Salem and Chennai. Tiruchi has been ignored. We recently got 10 new buses but the need is for a bigger bus stand for these buses to ply,’ he said.

Meanwhile, he had written to the Chief Minister on Thursday recommending three projects - a zoological park similar to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Chennai, extension of the Tropical Butterfly Conservatory at Srirangam to accommodate aquatic plants and animals and a tropical flower and herbal park at Kambarasampettai for beautification and increasing of research prospects in the city.