Ultra-modern bus terminal for Yeshwantpur

Ultra-modern bus terminal for Yeshwantpur

Srikanth Hunasavadi. Bangalore



The state government has decided to build an ultra-modern bus terminal in Yeshwantpur, on the lines of the satellite bus terminus on Mysore Road, to ease traffic congestion on Tumkur Road and the pressure on the Kempe Gowda bus stand. The new terminal will come up on a 10-acre land belonging to the now defunct Mysore Lamps.
"We have decided to build a mega bus terminal in Yeshwantpur to ease the pressure on the Kempe Gowda bus stand, the main terminal for KSRTC buses," transport minister R Ashok said on Friday. "Buses plying towards North Karnataka, Mangalore and Shimoga can use the new terminal," he said. Almost 70% of KSRTC buses plied in the Tumkur route, Ashok noted.
"The state-owned, and now defunct, Mysore Lamps was closed down after it suffered heavy losses," Ashok said. "It owed Rs180 crore, which was taken as a loan, to the state government. The state commerce and industries department has decided to sell the company's 25 acres of land to recover the loss," he said. "We have sought 10 acres of land. The department has agreed in principle to sell the land to the KSRTC, but the payment modalities are yet to be finalised."
He said the Majestic bus stand would be shifted in stages to make way for the Metro. Ashok also announced that the state transport department would issue free passes to family members of armed forces' personnel who had laid down their lives defending the country. The passes would be issued to the wives and parents of the martyrs, he said.
He said the KSRTC was adopting various measures to increase revenue. Allowing advertisements on buses was one of them. It was also planning to start its own courier services, he said.