Madras HC flags procedural violations in Kilambakkam Bus Terminus Project

Key points

• The Madras High Court on Friday (June 5, 2026) found procedural violations in the construction of Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus (KCBT) at Kilambakkam without obtaining sanction from the Chengalpattu Regional Transport Authority (RTA) as required under the Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989. Justice V.
• Lakshminarayanan, however, refrained from declaring the establishment of the KCBT as illegal, as sought by some of the private omnibus bus operators who had filed a batch of writ petitions in 2024, since the 1989 Rules also permit ex post facto approval for a bus terminus that had already been established.
• “It is not in dispute that a bus stand offering several modern facilities and amenities have been established and is functioning, currently catering to the needs of lakhs of passengers.
• For the mere non-compliance of Rule 245(a), I am not inclined to accept all the submissions of the learned counsel for the petitioners,” the...