Integrated solution? Not so soon

Integrated solution? Not so soon
Work On Majestic Terminal May Take Another Year To Start; Talks Began 3 Yrs Ago
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Perennial rush in the Majestic area, the city’s transportation nerve centre, may ease with the government looking at reviving a proposal for an integrated transportation terminal there. But with groundwork for the Namma Metro station set to commence early next year, work on the terminal will take a while to kick off.
Talks of the integrated terminal started doing the rounds in late 2005 at a budget of Rs 500 crore. Three years later, the state is looking at a proposed budget of Rs 1,000 crore.
According to officials, the government is working at statutory clearances for the ambitious project and might develop it on a public-private partnership (PPP) model. KSRTC MD Gaurav Gupta told The Times of India the project will provide a major face-lift to the Majestic neighbourhood.
“The idea is to revamp amenities created 25 years ago. The area is choking and we have to accept the reality that Metro will also have a presence here,’’ Gupta said. Majestic records movement of more than six lakh passengers everyday.
The proposal aims to develop the area into a traffic and transportation hub. Namma Metro passengers can alight at Majestic station and branch out on intra/inter-city buses and trains from there. Gupta said the project can take off only after alternate arrangements for operation of existing bus services are made. Once Metro work is on, KSRTC and BMTC will partially shift their operations to other locations.
CONSTRUCTION CAN WAIT
M N Sreehari, traffic and transportation expert and member of the chief minister’s ABIDe (Agenda for Bangalore Infrastructure Development) task force, said excavation at Kempe Gowda bus station — for Metro and mono-rail stations — will itself take nine months to complete. The task force has already asked the Bangalore Metropolitan Rail Corporation (BMRC) to submit an alternative traffic management plan before commencing digging. The Metro station will come up on two levels.
“We can think about the integrated terminal’s construction only by the end of 2009, after completion of excavation,’’ Sreehari said.
Five locations have been identified for shifting KSRTC and BMTC operations: the Mysore Road terminal, Peenya, land near Mysore Lamps, Hosur Road (along the proposed peripheral ring road) and near Bengaluru International Airport in Devanahalli.
TERMINAL SOLUTION
Integrated transportation terminal planned at Majestic 46-storey terminal to house counters, offices, commercial space Plans to develop it on PPP model Five locations identified to shift bus operations BMRC to submit alternate traffic management plan