Puttur new KSRTC bus stand almost ready for operation.
Mangalore Today News Network
Puttur: August 13, 2015: The KSRTC bus terminal that is coming up under the public-private partnership (PPP) model at Puttur, an important commercial centre in Dakshina Kannada district, is almost ready for operations and is tentatively scheduled for inauguration during the second week of September.
Work on the bus terminal commenced about two years ago with KSRTC entrusting the work to Hindustan Promoters and Builders on Build-Operate-Transfer basis. The developer was given 33 years licence to operate the commercial complex coming along with the bus terminal.
Coming up on about 2.2. acres of land where KSRTC’s old bus stand and a bus depot were located once, the terminal has 27 bus bays. The developer, as a part of the minimum development obligation, has provided various passenger amenities at the terminal, said a senior KSRTC official.
The amenities include ladies’ waiting room with rest rooms, spaces for canteen, shops, traffic control, retiring room for bus crew and others. The terminal also has parking facility for passengers at the basement.
On the commercial front, the developer has made provisions for parking at the basement while the ground and the first floors would have space for commercial activities, including shops and commercial establishments. A representative of the developer said they were confident about getting good returns for the investment. Bus terminal has to be operational before commencement of the commercial activities as the latter is dependent on the former, he said.
KSRTC a couple of years back opened its division in Puttur, a revenue sub-division and a prominent commercial hub in Dakshina Kannada, with jurisdiction over major parts of Dakshina Kannada district excluding Mangaluru taluk and Kodagu district. The bus station at Puttur, located on the Mangaluru-Mysuru Highway, was in a pathetic condition inconveniencing commuters.
Another bus station
Meanwhile, KSRTC has also issued work order to the contractor to build a bus station at B.C. Road, a prominent junction on Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway. To be built at a cost of about Rs. 7.5 crore, the bus station is located on the left-hand side of the national highway from Mangaluru.
Hundreds of KSRTC buses plying to and from Dharmasthala, Chikkamagaluru, Bengaluru, Puttur and Mysuru pass through B.C. Road, making it one of the busiest places. The bus station is expected to be completed in about a year, said the KSRTC official.