Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will inaugurate the integrated bus terminus, new Collectorates and launch various welfare schemes in Vellore, Ranipet and Tirupattur districts on Wednesday and Thursday. The visit is the second trip by the Chief Minister to these districts since November last when he launched a slew of welfare schemes, including the construction of houses for Sri Lankan Tamils. Along with the police, the district administrations have been gearing up for a week with around 5,000 police personnel having been roped in for security purposes. “Traffic movement in Vellore city will be regulated during the visit. Key intersections and traffic spots have been strengthened with more police personnel,” S. Rajesh Kannan, SP (Vellore), told The Hindu. Coinciding with the visit of the Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi will be visiting Vellore on Wednesday to inaugurate the five-day Palaru Peruvizha 2022 at Sri Lakshmi Narayani golden temple near the Central Prison on the outskirts of the town. The Governor is expected to return after the inauguration of the festival. After an overnight stay in Ambur on Tuesday, the Chief Minister will inaugurate the new seven-storeyed Collectorate complex in Tirupattur on Wednesday before giving away welfare assistance to beneficiaries in the forenoon. Later in the day, he will inaugurate the new terminus in Vellore on the Chennai - Bengaluru Highway (NH 48), followed by the launch of welfare measures at a meeting in the 16th century Vellore fort. The Chief Minister will inaugurate the new Collectorate premises in Ranipet on Thursday before leaving for Chennai. In Vellore, the new bus terminus is a decade-long wait for the commuters that has come to an end. Spread over 9.25 hectares, the ₹50.31-crore bus terminus, which is solar powered, has been built under the Smart Cities Mission. The facility accommodates 84 bus bays, 82 shops, three food courts, 11 waiting halls with each having a capacity of at least 75 persons and two lifts to reach bus bays on the first floor of the termini. Separate restrooms have also been built for commuters with disabilities. A multi-level parking lot with a capacity to park at least 100 vehicles, mainly two-wheelers, is also part of the facilities available at the new terminus. On an average, 75,000 commuters can use the facility every day. The newly carved-out districts of Ranipet and Tirupattur will get a Collectorate each. A total of 25 departments can be accommodated in the new Collectorates. Spread over 10.38 acres, the new seven-storey complex in Tirupattur has large halls for organising weekly grievance meetings, conference rooms for official meetings, post-offices, ATMs, reverse osmosis water taps, toilets, visitors’ halls, rainwater harvesting system with soak pits, solar panels and CCTV cameras. The new Collectorate in Ranipet covering 13.4 acres also has the same facilities, along with playground for children, officials said.
