Poor maintenance of road at the Central Bus Stand and the roads around it has raised concern among the commuters and residents.

Built in the early 1970s, the Central Bus Stand was established on 4.5 acres. It was expanded with additional bus bays after the Tiruchi Corporation acquired about 1.6 hectares of adjoining railway land in 2008. It was extremely busy with the operation of a number of long- distance and city buses until the bus operations were shifted to the Integrated Bus Terminus at Panjapur. But it now looks deserted.

Satellite bus stand

On June 16, 2025, all operations from the Central Bus Stand were shifted to the newly built terminus at Panjapur. One year has passed since then. The Central Bus Stand, which served as gateway of Tiruchi for over five decades, is partially used as a satellite bus stand after the new bus terminus at Panjapur became functional. The area, where Chennai-bound buses used to be operated, is now occupied by city buses bound for Srirangam via Palakkarai, Chathiram Bus Stand via Thillai Nagar, and Panjapur. A section of private bus transporters, who operate buses between Karur and Tiruchi, continue to use the bus bays located on the west side of the stand based on a court direction.

Commuters and bus crew accuse the Tiruchi Corporation of lackadaisical approach in maintaining the Central Bus Stand since the shifting of bus operations to Panjapur. The surface road of the bus stand remained in poor condition, pothole-ridden for months together, causing hardship to road users. The condition is bad on the western side of the bus stand. The surface was not laid for a long period. Similarly, cement slabs of the platform have been damaged at many places.

“The bus stand has not been closed fully. It is still serving the people partially. We find there is poor maintenance since shifting of operations to Panjapur. We find it difficult to operate buses on damaged road surfaces,” says a member of a bus crew.

Similarly, the condition of roads on the outer periphery of the bus stand are in poor condition. Road users claim that the McDonald’s Road is uneven and has not been repaired for a long time. As a result, it is a bumpy ride for cars and two-wheelers.

Claiming that recent rains had damaged the roads, R. Thiruvengadam, a civic activist in Tiruchi, said that the Corporation should take steps immediately to repair the road surface at the Central Bus Stand and other adjacent roads.