Tourists Information Centre and Heritage Arrival Plaza also opened
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday inaugurated, through video-conferencing facility, Periyar bus stand that has been renovated under the Smart City project.
The bus stand with two levels of underground parking facility and four bays to hold 40 buses at a time has been constructed at a cost of ₹55 crore. The new bus stand building has come up on 3,104 square metres.
A shopping complex is also coming up on 3.02 hectares at a cost of ₹119.56 crore. Seventeen buses could also be parked along the shopping complex. A total of 7,200 trips of buses to different parts of the city and the district would be operated from this bus stand.
A waiting hall, police outpost, traffic police outpost, protected drinking water, modern toilet facility, a site for ATMs have been provided at the bus stand. A total of 371 cars can be parked in the first level of the underground parking lot and 4,865 two-wheelers can be parked in the second level.
Bus services to Melur, Thiruvathur (Platform 1), Tirumangalam (PF 2), Alanganallur (PF 3) and Kariyapatti (PF 4) started from the renovated bus stand immediately after its inauguration.
Bus services to other routes would begin in a phased manner. Services to and from Azhagarkoil, Pudur (PF 1), Tirupparankundram (PF 2), Chekkanoorani (PF 3) and Tiruppuvanam (PF 4) would start on Thursday, and services to and from Natham, Oomachikulam (PF 1), Kalimangalam (PF 2), Karseri, Sakkimangalam (PF 3) and Sholavandan (PF 4) would follow on Friday.
On Saturday, bus services would start to and from MGR bus stand (PF 1), Nedungulam, Chinthamani (PF 2) and Arapalayam (PF 3).
The Chief Minister also inaugurated the Tourists Information Centre (constructed at a cost of ₹2.75 crore) and the Heritage Arrival Plaza near Jhansi Rani Park (₹2.45 crore).
The Tourists Information Centre in the two-storey building, with 1,518 sq metres of plinth area, has a restaurant and lodging facility. People can get information about the tourists spots in and around the city.
The Heritage Arrival plaza (796 sq metres) has an arrival centre, a shopping centre with 10 shops and a restaurant.
Minister for Commercial Taxes P. Moorthi, MLAs M. Boominathan and Venkatesan, Madurai Collector S. Aneesh Sekhar and Corporation Commissioner K.P. Karthikeyan were present during the inauguration.