The Hindu 29.11.2013
Encroachments removed at Bhavani bus stand
Shops had occupied pavement space
Passengers in Bhavani bus stand are now able to breathe
easy, following removal of encroachments in front of shops by the
Muncipality.
The bus stand, with the freed space originally designed for pavements in front of about 40 shops, now presents a pleasant sight.
Passengers
are able to move freely after the eviction carried out by the Bhavani
Municipality authorities on Wednesday. A famous pilgrim town, Bhavani is
also a leading business centre for carpets, attracting several hundreds
of people every day.
The Sangameswarar Temple in the town is where the Cauvery, Bhavani, and an invisible river Amirtha meet.
For
pilgrims thronging the temple, the bus stand was an eye sore. The bus
stand used to look crowded on new moon days. These days were when the
absence of pavements used to be conspicuously felt, locals said.
Devotees
from other States who regularly visit the town in large numbers during
December (Margazhi) will henceforth be able to feel comfortable in the
bus stand, according to Shankar, a local businessman. He wanted the
Municipality to deal with encroachers sternly. The encroached space by
each shopkeeper far exceeded the originally allotted space of 10 x 10
feet about 20 years ago, he said. The Municipality carried out the
eviction after the Sub-Collector of Gobichettipalayam Chandrasekar
Sakhamuri, in his capacity as subdivisional magistrate, conveyed the
need for action based on the representations he had received from the
public earlier this month.
He had asked the Municipality to ensure that passengers feel convenient inside the bus stand.
Mr.
Chandrasekar had also made a similar communication for hassle-free
movement of vehicles in the congested town to the State Highways
Department.
Officials of the department are now getting the sides of main roads cleared of encroachments.