Noting that the CMBT in Koyambedu was getting congested, she said a new
terminus was required. “With a wholesale market nearby, vehicles can
only travel at a speed of 10kmph,” she said in the assembly. She made
the announcement under statement 110 during the session.

Sources in the Chennai metropolitan development authority,
which is responsible for setting up the terminus, say that a 65-acre
plot has been identified and work will begin soon. The Koyambedu
terminus with its 36-acre campus was touted as Asia’s largest when it
was opened in 2002 during the previous ADMK regime. “All south bound
buses from cities like Madurai as well as from western regions like
Coimbatore and Kerala will use the new terminus. Buses from Karnataka
and Andhra Pradesh will continue to use the terminus at Koyambedu,” said a senior official from the state transport corporation.

Of the 2,100 buses that use the existing terminus at Koyambedu, some
1,250 are south bound. The terminus was designed to handle 180 buses
plus parking facilities for 60 more buses on a daily basis. However,
officials say at least 500 buses crowd the terminus on any given day. The situation
gets only worse during festive days like diwali, new year and pongal,
when the traffic police make elaborate diversions to ensure smooth
traffic flow. Officials from the state express transport corporation say
the new terminus will help them plan and manage their timings better.