Transport Minister S.S. Sivasankar and Tourism Minister R. Rajendran inaugurated 63 Magalir Vidiyal Payanam buses at Edappadi depot in Salem district on Sunday, 04 January 2025.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Transport Minister S.S. Sivasankar and Tourism Minister R. Rajendran inaugurated 63 Magalir Vidiyal Payanam buses and a retail fuel outlet in Salem district on Sunday.
Transport Minister S.S. Sivasankar and Tourism Minister R. Rajendran inaugurating a retail fuel outlet at Edappadi depot in Salem district on Sunday, 04 January 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Minister Rajendran said at the function that under the Vidiyal Payanam in Salem division, 5.88 lakh women travel every day, and in the past four years, 265 buses were provided to the Salem division.
In the division, 95% of town buses were operated as Magalir Vidiyal Payanam buses. The division won four awards in 2024 from the All India Transport Corporations Federation. Salem division was also ranked first in other income categories and was ranked first among suburban transport corporations in digital transactions. On Sunday, the second retail fuel outlet (petrol bunk) was inaugurated at a cost of ₹1.20 crore, he added.
According to Transport Minister S.S. Sivasankar, petrol bunks are being started at all depots across the State where space is available. So far, six retail fuel outlets have been started on behalf of TNSTC. In the first phase, a fuel station was inaugurated at Athanur in Namakkal district on July 28, 2024, and on Sunday, the second outlet was inaugurated at Edappadi.
The TNSTC has the most number of buses across the country. After the DMK came to power, the Chief Minister ordered purchase of 11,328 new buses, and until Sunday, 6,844 buses had come into public use.
Of the 63 Magalir Vidiyal Payanam buses inaugurated on Sunday, 20 buses were for the Salem division and 43 buses for the Dharmapuri division replacing the currently operated buses, he said.
Published – January 04, 2026 07:07 pm IST