The absence of a covered parking at the paid parking lot in the new bus stand in Puducherry has been a cause for concern for motorists
| Photo Credit: S.S. Kumar
Commuters at the Rajiv Gandhi bus terminus on Maraimalai Adigal Salai in Puducherry are facing severe inconveniences due to inadequate parking space in the paid parking lot. Two-wheeler users are being forced to park on narrow roads adjacent to the bus stand, disrupting traffic flow.Given its current capacity, paid parking is possible for around 400 two-wheelers at a time inside the bus terminal. However, the parking lot is often full, and over 100 vehicles are turned away on normal days while on weekends more vehicles are refused entry for want of space.As a result, two-wheeler users are left with no other choice than to park their vehicles on the side of Iyyanar Kovil Street, adjacent to the parking lot. Motorists also park their vehicles in the front side of the bus stand.The Iyyanar Kovil Street where the depot and office of the Government-run Puducherry Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) is located remains choked due to haphazard parking throughout the day causing hardship to bus drivers in taking their vehicles out of the depot.No covered parkingThe absence of covered parking area is another issue. Hundreds of commuters who commute to Chennai, Villupuram and Cuddalore on a daily basis are apprehensive to park their vehicles due to the absence of a secure and covered parking at the bus terminus.The parking lot remains open with no guards to keep a watch over the parked vehicles. The contractor collects ₹10 to park a two-wheeler for up to 12 hours and ₹20 for 24 hours.“There is no safety for the parked vehicles. Accessories may go missing while the vehicles also get damaged due to tight parking spaces. The municipality should deploy guards and provide a roof so that the vehicles stay safe and do not get damaged,” said A. Ashwin, a resident.“There is no place to safely park two-wheelers. People travelling to other cities are especially concerned. Those who come to drop off or pick up passengers also struggle to find space. The parking space should be expanded to ease traffic congestion caused by roadside parking,” said A.C. Velarasan, a resident of Iyyanar Kovil Street.Despite ban on entry of two-wheelers into the bus stand, vehicles continue to enter the premises and are parked in bus bays causing hardship to both the bus crew and the commuters.Though the police had banned the entry of two-wheelers, autorickshaws and cars inside the bus stand, many vehicle users continue to violate the rules and park their vehicles. This causes inconvenience while parking buses, said a bus driver who wanted the ban to be enforced strictly.Official responseAn official of the Puducherry Smart City Development Limited (PSCDL) said a proposal was put forward to build a roof with a solar-powered parking canopy in the terminus. However, the proposal failed to materialise. On lack of parking space, he said that another parking lot on the north-east side of the terminus had been readied for parking of two-wheelers. The parking lot has adequate space but it only requires proper coordination and monitoring, he said. Published - May 24, 2026 12:26 pm IST
