Madras HC reports violation of procedures in Kilambakkam Bus Terminus Project

View of Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus. File Image | Photo credit: The Hindu

The Madras High Court on Friday (June 5, 2026) found a procedural violation in the construction of the Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus (KCBT) at Kilambakkam without obtaining the sanction of the Chengalpattu Regional Transport Authority (RTA) as required by the Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.

However, Justice V. Lakshminarayanan refrained from declaring the establishment of KCBT illegal, as demanded by some private bus operators who had filed a number of writ petitions in 2024, as the 1989 rules also allow for ex post facto approval of a bus stand that has already been established.

“It is not in dispute that a bus stand offering several modern facilities and amenities has been established and is in operation which is currently catering to the needs of millions of passengers. Merely for non-compliance with Rule 245(a), I am not inclined to accept all the submissions of the learned counsel for the petitioner,” the judge wrote.

The judge further said that since the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) was not the authorized entity to obtain approval for the bus terminus from the RTA, only Kattankulathur Panchayat Union, under whose territorial jurisdiction KCBT was located, could apply for approval.

The judge also declared unconstitutional and illegal the order passed by the State Transport Authority (STA) on 22 January 2024 directing private omni-directional buses operating between Chennai and the southern districts of the state to start and stop their service at KCBT without entering Chennai city.

He was of the view that no such blanket restriction can be issued by the STA in respect of omnibuses which have already been authorized at national or state level. He also pointed out that the legal rules do not allow such restrictions to be imposed based on the routes the buses travel on.

“The order dated January 22, 2024 restricting the use of permit holders for southbound buses to enter Chennai city as well as the classification of omni buses based on their destination is not only ultra vires the powers vested in the STA but also discriminatory and therefore deserves to be set aside,” the judge said.

The judgment was delivered on January 20, 2026 after hearing the arguments of the then Advocate General PS Raman and was delivered on Friday (June 5). In his arguments, the former AG told the court that the decision to construct the Kilambakkam bus stand to decongest the existing Koyambedu bus stand was taken in 2013, but it materialized only in 2024.

The court was also told that the government actually intends to construct two more bus terminals at Madhavaram and Kuthambakkam also for buses going to northern and western districts in the state. In a sly note, Mr. Raman also said, “No special bus stand is contemplated in the east as Chennai is bordered by the Bay of Bengal on that side.”

Published – 05 Jun 2026 23:14 IST