[1]Srirangam, the island town which is the chief minister’s constituency, is all set to become the ‘Koyambedu of the South’ with the state government planning to develop a modern depot that would serve as a hub for the long distance buses.
Since the government has decided to nearly double the fleet strength of State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) from 905 to 1,761, hundreds of buses of southern districts could halt there for maintenance as the depot would be equipped with all engineering and technical facilities.
“Soon Srirangam town will be bustling with hundreds of buses as the government is drawing a detailed plan to develop it as a major terminal for long-distance buses, SETC, in particular. After the creation of the facility, buses starting from southern districts and heading to other parts of the state, via Tiruchy, can halt there and get all their technical faults fixed, along with other regular checks, as it would be equipped with facilities equivalent to Chennai,” sources said.
The long-distance buses can fill diesel at the multi facility Srirangam depot, drivers can relax in rest rooms while faults are being fixed and there would be solutions for all faults that could develop in buses, they added.
With the chief minister announcing the merger of other corporation buses plying over 300 km with SETC, the necessity for such a modernised depot in the heart of TN is urgent, sources said. Further, the government has also decided to carve out a corporation with Srirangam as headquarters. Besides, a new depot for SETC would also be formed and a general manager’s post would be created, for the first time, outside of Chennai, sources added.
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[1] http://archive.asianage.com/bus2jpgcropdisplayjpg-601