Poor response to shop tenders for Sellur bus stand amid construction delays

The pre-auction for shops in the under-construction new bus stand at Sellur concluded on Wednesday with limited participation, as uncertainty over completion timelines and lack of clarity on facilities appear to have deterred many traders.

The new bus stand and its associated commercial complex are being built along the Sellur East Coastal Road at an estimated cost of ₹30.40 crore. The project, aimed at easing congestion at the existing terminus and catering to increasing commuter traffic to the district headquarters, is yet to reach an advanced stage of construction.

Although Nagapattinam Municipality went ahead with the pre-auction / pre-tender process on Wednesday, traders’ representatives said the response was muted, with only a small number of traders turning up and most shops attracting single bids, leaving little scope for competitive bidding and reflecting apprehension about investing without a clear handover date.

Activists and traders have consistently argued that the tender was premature, as substantial portions of the civil work remain pending.“The government’s guideline rate is ₹5,000 per shop, but several shops were leased today for around ₹4,500. At the Anna bus stand, the funtional Town bus stand now, rents range between ₹10,000 and ₹11,000 per month, while in the Azad Market in town they are between ₹7,000 and ₹9,000. The fact that rates here have gone lower shows that the process was undertaken without adequate consultation with the trading community, not even half the shops were auctioned due to low turn out from traders ” said N. Natarajan, a trader.

“To this day, the Municipality has not clearly disclosed the shop sizes, internal facilities, or even the traffic and route arrangements for operating buses from the new site,” said N.P. Bhaskaran, president of the Nagapattinam–Tiruvarur–Mayiladuthurai district consumer protection and rights association.

In representations submitted earlier to the District Collector and the Municipal Commissioner, the association had sought postponement of the tender until construction reached a near-completion stage and all relevant details were placed in the public domain.

According to the tender notification, the Municipality had proposed leasing out 80 shops, two restaurants, two ATM rooms, eight food stalls, and a parcel storage facility, with five shops reserved for persons with disabilities as per the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Rules, 2023. The lease period is for nine years, extendable as per applicable government orders.

Opposition parties have also raised concerns over delays. AIADMK Nagapattinam town secretary Thanga Kathiravan said the project was originally scheduled for completion within one year and should have been finished by August 30, but had been delayed considerably. He alleged that traders were now being asked to participate in tenders without any firm assurance on completion timelines.

Responding to the criticism, Nagapattinam MLA J. Mohamed Shanavas Speaking to the Hindu said the government had already released a substantial portion of the funds for the project and that the remaining amount was being mobilised through shop tenders. “No one is being compelled to participate in the tender process. Only those interested in having shops inside the bus stand are applying,” he said, adding that delays were partly due to the time taken to remove encroachments and that construction would now gather pace.