A ray of hope has emerged on leasing out the remaining commercial space in the 12-storey bus terminal complex of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) at Thampanoor.
If things work out, the office of the Regional Transport Officer, Thiruvananthapuram, now functioning at Transport Bhavan of the KSRTC in Fort will be shifted to Thampanoor.
The move to shift the RTO office is part of the initiative of the government to save the Rs.65-crore complex and help the Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation (KTDFC) to realise the money invested for the building.
Confirming the initiative, Minister for Transport A.K. Saseendran said it was part of the move to shift the government offices in rented buildings and to make the complex lively and to encourage others to take the commercial space on lease.
The RTO needs nearly 10,000 sq.ft of space for the 100-odd personnel to work.
The KTDFC that executed the project on BOT basis for KSRTC will also have to take a call on the MVD offer. Official sources said the MVD has not formally approached the KTDFC so far.
Of the space earmarked for commercial purpose in the complex, mainly ground floor and parking lots had also been leased out.
The authorities are hopeful that the complex will turn a commercial hub once more shops and business establishments occupy the building and the RTO can emerge as the trend setter.
Since its inauguration on February 2, 2014, only less than a dozen shops and two ATMs are functioning in the complex. The escalators, elevators and fire-fighting equipment in the complex are also gathering dust.
If the initiative works out, the government can shift more government offices to the vacant commercial space in the complexes constructed by the KTDFC on BOT mode on KSRTC land at Kozhikode, Angamaly and Thiruvalla.
