The ill-maintained office complex in the KSRTC main bus stand in the city will be pulled down once the monsoons subside, to pave the way for a simple yet modern structure.
Piling and related work for the new building is expected to begin by the end of the year. The project will also see the shabby premises being raised and rebuilt to hew out more space for buses, staff members, and commuters. KSRTC Managing Director Antony Chacko said the office and counters that function from the present building would be shifted to a structure being built near the upcoming garage once the rain takes a break.
“The old building will then be pulled down. The ground floor of the new building will house various offices of the KSRTC and passenger area. A shopping complex has been envisaged in the upper floors,” Mr. Chacko said.
The KSRTC will construct the basement that can support up to four floors. The upper floors will be built using funds borrowed as interest-free deposits from shop owners who are keen on taking space on rent. Each floor will be auctioned. While the construction of two floors appears feasible, the upper floors will be built only if the proposition is viable, sources said.
This is because bus stand-cum-shopping complexes built under BOT schemes at KSRTC bus stations at Thiruvananthapuram, Thiruvalla, Angamaly, and Kozhikode are yet to bring in the desired revenue.
For the record, the bus station is less congested than before after low-floor buses were shifted to the Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation (KURTC’s) head office-cum-depot at Thevara. But there is chaos at the entrance since the entry-cum-exit points of the station are the same. The entry to the A.L. Jacob Overbridge too is nearby, causing traffic snarls whenever buses exit the stand.
The plan to pull down the existing structure and replace it with a modern one with ample bus bays, multi-utility commercial spaces, and shops was finalised in 2013. The design has taken into account factors such as water-logging on the premises caused by water seeping in from the nearby canal and the railway track.
