A constant buzz and dust surround West Veli Street and Tirupparankundram Road where the Corporation is tearing down Periyar bus stand and Bharathiyar shopping complex for reconstruction. In its place, the local body is constructing an integrated bus stand with a tourist plaza - a move towards making Madurai a Smart City.
Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam laid the foundation stone for this project along with other Smart Cities Mission schemes on January 19. Periyar bus stand redevelopment project will be the fulcrum in the area-based development area of the Smart Cities Mission as several other heritage projects are linked to this site, say Corporation officials.
Despite demolition of the bus stand and shopping complex almost complete, expert urban planners and architects had raised several questions regarding the viability of the project. But the answers they received from the authorities were far from satisfactory, they say.
The design
Under the redevelopment project costing ₹153 crore, the Periyar bus stand will have two levels for underground parking and four levels above ground for bus bays. The façade of the bus stand will be like a gopuram to denote Madurai as a city of temples. It will also have a large tourist plaza where visitors will get a whiff of products available in the city.
There will be 67 bus bays. The two-level underground parking lots can accommodate 4,865 two-wheelers and 371 four-wheelers. There will be 416 shops - 250 below ground and 171 above ground - largely selling items that showcase the heritage of the city.
There will be dedicated pedestrian walkways inside the integrated bus stand so that people need not weave their way through buses which will have unobstructed entry and exit, reveal the Corporation's Budget Report for 2019-2020.
Corporation Commissioner S. Visakan says the project will be completed in 18 months from the date of commissioning. “It is going as per plan,” he says.
The problem
R.M. Valliappan, chairman of Indian Institute of Architects, says the design is complicated and does not address some basic flaws. At a recent discussion among architects of the Association, several objections were raised regarding the aesthetics, he says. “The gopuram design is not personalised and does not have distinctive elements to represent Madurai,” he says.
Mr. Valliappan says there are other major problem areas too. “Periyar bus stand is an area that regularly faces major water stagnation. It is part of the Kiruthumal river link and was part of a natural gradient that leads to Vaigai river. This was about 50 years ago. With plots coming up in place of the river, the bus stand is vulnerable even during short spells of rain,” he says.
He says having a double basement without addressing these issues could pose serious problems.
Corporation Commissioner S. Visakan says, to address this problem, the Corporation will begin construction only after raising the basement by 4.5 metres. If water stagnates outside the Periyar bus stand premises, it will be redirected through stormwater drains, he says.
Mr. Valliappan, however, says the storm water drainage system in Madurai is inefficient and never served its purpose. The storm water drains in Thideer Nagar and Bhaskardoss Nagar, the areas near the bus stand, are full of garbage. During heavy rain, the garbage chokes the storm water drains and leads to inundation.
N. Ramalingam, vice-president of the Indian Institute of Architects, says pedestrian linking has not been completed properly in this area. “There is a major pedestrian-vehicular conflict. There is no proper underpass or subway connecting Netaji Road or West Veli Street near railway station. There is also a bottleneck near the fort wall on Netaji Road,” he says.
Mr. Valliappan says there is a possibility of West Veli Street becoming inaccessible.
A. Sadayandi, who used to own a juice shop at the bus stand, says, “Ideally, a bus stand should have thriving local business. Periyar bus stand had many shops selling knick knacks, fruits, flowers and snacks for generations. By kicking them out and terming hawkers as encroachers, we are dampening the local economy.”
The solution
The Corporation Commissioner says pedestrians will not have problems reaching the bus stand as walkways would be constructed as part of the Heritage Walkway plan, another initiative under the Smart Cities Mission. A separate ‘Vending Management Plan’ has been proposed to identify sites as ‘No vending zones,’ ‘Restricted vending zones’ and ‘Vending zones.’ And identity cards will be issued to the hawkers.
“We are speeding up the work. Even if new elements need to be added to the design, it can be done as we have funds,” he says.
