Daijiworld Media Network - Coorg
Madikeri, Aug 22: The state government has given administrative approval for the construction of a private bus stand at an estimated cost of Rs 499 lac on Friday August 19.
The demand for a spacious private bus terminal is almost a decade old as the present bus stand situated near KSRTC bus stand has no required space to park buses nor is there shelter for commuters. On weekends traffic jam is common at the private bus stand as it is in the heart of town and thousands of tourist vehicles come from other cities. At present, more than 170 bus trips are operating here which have caused heavy traffic. Many accidents have also occurred following brake failure of vehicles as the road towards the bus stand from Mysuru-Mangaluru state highway is too steep. According to an estimate more than 10,000 commuters use the bus stand.
The CMC in the year 2008 itself resolved to shift the private bus stand to a suitable place. In the beginning, councillors found APMC yard opposite KSRTC depot and another place that belongs to agriculture department near police quarters. Later the agriculture department land was finalized. The state agriculture department gave three acres of land for the construction of the bus stand in the year 2012. However, the construction got delayed owing to shortage of grants from the government.
The CMC prepared a detailed project report and sent it for approval of state municipal administration directorate. The department through the directorate of urban land transport (DULP) has sanctioned Rs 375 lac for the construction of the bus stand. The order clearly states that the CMC itself has to bear the remaining Rs 124 lac from its grants and that no grants will be sought from the state government. The order also invites tenders through E procurement and the work must be finished as soon as possible. According to the project Rs 250 lac will be spent for bus terminal concretization, Rs 163 lac for concretization of road, Rs 13 lac for compound wall, Rs 52 lac for drainage system and Rs 20 lac for construction of toilets.
When contacted, CMC commissioner Pushpavathi said that she held discussions with the deputy commissioner Richard Vincent D'Souza in this regard and the tender process will begin within a couple of days. She said that after completion of the project a huge commercial complex, hotel building will also be constructed in the second phase.