Pernambut local body warned not to use park site for bus stand

In a letter addressed to the Vellore Collector, Vellore RDMA (Regional Director of Municipal Administration) and the Pernambut Municipal Commissioner and Town Planning Officer, he said that moves were afoot by the local body to add the 26,061 square feet land earmarked for a park to be used as a bus stand at Sathgar.

Though moves were afoot to conduct the boomi pooja for the new bus stand on Monday, it was given up when it was known that the matter was already in Court.

Suresh Kumar told DT Next, “Already our case against shifting the bus stand to Sathgar village panchayat is pending in the Madras High Court and when local body officials became aware of it, they stopped arrangements for the proposed bus stand’s bhoomi pooja.”

Former Councillor Meeran G Saleem said, “Though a majority of locals wanted the present terminus to move to a bigger site opposite its present location, three real estate dealers with close links to the local minister ensured that the one acre site which they donated to the local body was used for the bus stand as they planned to construct shops nearby.”

Suresh Kumar added that the park area donated to Pernambut municipality on April 25, 2018 could be denotified only by Chennai based municipal administration commissioner. “If the Pernambut municipal commissioner on his own authority undertakes this job, it will amount to gross violation of rules and could land him in trouble.”

Pernambut Consumer Welfare and Protection Committee president T Basheeruddin said,“Unnecessary problems could be avoided if the local body going by the majority, decides to do what they want. Even if the bus stand comes up in Sathgar, it will mean unnecessary physical and monetary hassles for locals many of whom cannot afford it.”