New TNSTC bus depot inaugurated in Kumily; this will improve frequency and benefit tourists, merchants and pilgrims going to Sabarimala

Tamil Nadu Rural Development Minister I. Periyasamy and Transport Minister S. S. Sivasankar inaugurated the newly constructed bus depot in Kumily in the presence of Theni District Collector Ranjith Singh on Thursday.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Periasamy said that Kumily is an important location for tourists, pilgrims, farmers and businessmen. Keeping this in mind, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin had earmarked funds for improving the infrastructure.

Having built at a cost of ₹5.5 crore, the new bus depot would aid in improvement of bus frequency and provide better service to the commuters in the region. He said that Kumily was also important location as it was the gateway for neighbouring State – Kerala. Hence, the officials should utilise the new infrastructural facility in such a manner that it benefitted people from both Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Mr Periasamy said.

In his address, Mr Sivasankar said that the government was conscious to protect the eco-system. As a first step, 250 electric buses have been introduced in Chennai and there are two depots exclusively catering to the needs of the e-buses in Chennai.

“Another 125 new electric buses are to ply from tomorrow in Chennai and very soon, more number of e-buses would be added to the fleet as the CM was keen to protect the eco-system,” he added.

The TNSTC has also played a pivotal role in narrowing the gap between rural and urban locations in different parts of Tamil Nadu. For many workers, the transport facility by the government has facilitated them to travel from remote locations to urban and semi-urban areas, Mr Sivasankar said and added that it was not the case in many other States in the country.

On recruitment, the Minister said that the TNSTC had recently appointed 685 new drivers/conductors and another 3,200 more would be added in a phased manner for postings across the State. The State government had given 5% increment to the employees based on the requests made by the employees unions.

“Despite financial strains, the Chief Minister has sanctioned the increment only in the interest of welfare of the TNSTC employees”, he said and added that the government would consider other demands as well.

The Collector said that apart from restrooms and eateries for commuters, more facilities would be added to the new bus depot. He said that ₹85 lakh has been sanctioned from the MP-LAD fund of Theni MP Thanga Tamil Selvan.

TNSTC MD Saravanan, General Manager Muthukrishnan, Branch Manager Murugesan, MLAs Cumbum N Ramakrishnan, Andipatti A Maharajan and other officials participated.