A decision on taking forward the project to build an integrated bus terminal in four acres owned by the KSRTC at Karikkamuri here is expected to be taken by the year-end. The governing body of the Vyttila Mobility Hub Society (VMHS) is set to take a call on the terms and conditions of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) that it will ink with the KSRTC and Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML), which has offered ₹12 crore for the first phase of the project.
This comes in the wake of rising outrage on social media and among passengers and KSRTC employees over the deplorable state of the existing KSRTC bus depot and its premises which are vulnerable to waterlogging. According to the plan, the land will be handed over to VMHS, while the KSRTC will get three acres on the 25-acre VMH premises. This will enable commuters to choose between KSRTC and private buses from both locales. Stakeholders are also making efforts to ready a 12-feet-wide pathway to link the proposed integrated bus terminal at Karikkamuri with the Ernakulam Junction railway station located less than a kilometre away.
Even as VMHS is expected to take a call on the MoU, the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC), which has been tasked with conducting a traffic study, is expected to submit the report in a month. On its part, the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) will submit a report on the steps that ought to be taken to prevent waterlogging on the premises, informed sources said.
Once the MoU is inked, CSML, which gave in-principle approval to provide ₹12 crore, is expected to hand over half the sum to VMHS. This will be vital to kick-starting the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) by the Kerala State Construction Corporation (KSCC). The remaining fund for the project, if needed, is likely to be sourced from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) or from own funds of VMHS. The entire process is expected to be completed in another two months, considering the dire need to have a modern and clean bus depot in the heart of the city, the sources added.
The proposed integrated bus stand will get entry and exit that are 12 metres wide to enable smooth movement of buses and passengers.
Commercial complex
The KSRTC has, in the meantime, invited expression of interest (EoI) for the construction of a commercial complex in around 4.50 acres that housed the dilapidated KSRTC depot. A link has been planned from the first floor of the proposed complex to A.L. Jacob overbridge to ensure proper connectivity to Kathrikadavu and to the city. The project will be implemented in public-private partnership (PPP) mode.
Delay
The reliance on archaic procedures and the involvement of far too many agencies are delaying the progress of both the integrated bus terminal and the commercial complex project in the land presently owned by the KSRTC, sources said.
