With the KSRTC’s new bus terminal complex at Thampanoor all set to be inaugurated on Feb 3, employees allege that the corporation has not entered into any form of agreement with the Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation (KTDFC) and they fear that eventually, it will become the sole custodian of the Rs 65 cr terminal.
Currently, the KTDFC has hijacked the claim of sharing a 50 per cent rent-deposit scheme with the loss making corporation where the 10-storeyed structure has around 1.75 lakh sq ft of commercial space.
The new complex coming up under the Build, Operate, Transfer (BOT) mode is expected to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy early next month.
Work on the terminal began on March 2012 and was expected to be completed in August last. Representatives of the Kerala State Road Transport Employees Association pointed out that when the KTDFC had launched a similar bus terminal complex at Angamaly, there had been no agreement between the two entities.
“Initially, KTDFC had granted only 250 sq ft for the corporation at the Thampanoor complex and after much hue and cry, it was increased to 850 sq ft. Apart from the deposit towards the commercial space, the rent was also to be shared by the two, which has since been hijacked. Now the situation is that the land belonging to KSRTC has been taken over by KTDFC”, said a senior representative of KSRTEA, which has affiliations to the CPM.
Deccan Chronicle
