The bus station in Chengalpattu is facing another legal issue
A contempt suit filed against the state government in the Madras High Court has put a stop to the updated plan to construct a bus terminal on a 14-acre plot of land in Chengalpattu. Following the housing minister’s announcement in the Assembly in 2022 that a bus terminal would be built in Chengalpattu, the CMDA proposed to the district collector of Chengalpattu that sufficient land be acquired.
The announcement was initially made for a total of 15.67 acres, but after a joint survey by CMDA and revenue department officials, a project management consultant withdrew the original plan and delivered a revised one for the purchase of 14 acres of property.
It was discovered during a feasibility analysis of the proposed location that Venbakkam village’s survey number was listed in revenue records as a water body. The plan to build a bus terminal on a waterbody was subsequently contested in a motion made to the High Court last year. As a result, the HC mandated that the survey number be designated as “kulam” and that it be kept free of encroachment.
The government enacted a G.O. to this effect when the court ruled that the bus station could not be built on the kulam. But last month, the petitioner filed a contempt case, disputing the terminal’ construction once again. The Chengalpattu collectorate has official sources stating that a status report is being produced and would be sent to the High Court shortly. “The terminal is not being utilized with the kulam. It is already home to two government buildings,” they said.
The anticipated development of the Chennai Metropolitan Area was taken into consideration while designing the bus terminal. “The bus terminal will facilitate the growth of development hubs like Chengalpattu, a rapidly expanding town near Chennai and a crucial stop for southbound traffic,” the sources said. The building site is located in a low-lying location, and the authorities want to fill it with soil while simultaneously deepening adjacent tanks.
