Aiming at transforming the grey and shabby outlook of the city central into that of a metro, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is all set to present its new year gift to city-zens. The newly-constructed ten-storeyed Central Bus Terminal of KSRTC at Thampanoor is all set to be inaugurated on February 3.
“The work will be completed by January 25 and KTDFC will hand over the complex to KSRTC. On February 3, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will officially inaugurate the terminal for the public. The total expense of the project was Rs 240 crore, including the cost of the land and construction. Rents and other rates will be decided after the inauguration after holding discussions with all the parties,” said Transport Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan here on Friday while paying a visit to the construction site.
“KSRTC will make some radical moves in the coming financial year to break even. It is a challenge to make the Corporation into a profitable format and therefore, time-consuming also,” the Minister added.
A joint venture by KSRTC and Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation (KTDFC), the construction commenced in March 2010 and was scheduled to be completed within two years. However, various developments, including the confusion between departments over the widening of the approach road and the accidental death of a labourer, delayed the project further.
However, the major works are over, except for some final touches and trial runs. The Thampanoor terminal complex is one among the five complexes being constructed in the state under the BOT concept by KTDFC. The rest four are at Angamaly, Kozhikode, Peroorkada and Malappuram.
The terminal is constructed on an elevated area of land in order to prevent waterlogging, which has been haunting the existing bus bay for years. The campus has a Main Block and an Administrative Block. The main bus block consists of ten floors. The buses entering the building will have a single entry and single exit system and the bus bay can accommodate 29 buses at a time.
The new complex will house a commercial zone which includes a shopping complex and convention centre. The circular-shaped facility is divided into four zones – an arrival bus bay zone, a departure bus bay with passenger facilities, a bus terminal supporting facility zone with idle bus parking, repair garage, fuel-filling facility and the commercial area.
When the multiplexes inside the terminal become functional, Thiruvananthapuram will reaffirm its position of being the city with most number of theatres in the state. Already, three theatres have been functioning in the bus terminals constructed by KTDFC at Angamaly, Thiruvalla and Kozhikode.
On Friday, various officials belonging to KSRTC and KTDFC visited the terminal to check the progress of the work. KSRTC MD K G Mohanlal, State Transport Secretary V M Gopala Menon and KTDFC Managing Director Usha Devi Balakrishnan, along with KSRTC chief engineer R Indu and KTDFC chief engineer S R J Nava Kumar visited the site and held a meeting to make the final preparations for the inauguration.
Facilities Offered
* Idling space to fit 150 buses.
* Parking area for 330 cars and 500 two-wheelers.
* Multiplex theatres with two screens along with a food court and a gymnasium.
* Passenger escalators, four passenger lifts and two freight lifts.
* Facilities for water harvesting, waste management and measures to prevent waterlogging.
New Indian Express
