Will Majestic bus stand be a thing of past?

Will Majestic bus stand be a thing of past?
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Kempe Gowda or Majestic bus station may soon become history as the government has initiated the process of decentralization of the bus terminals.
“We are planning to open 10 more satellite bus terminals in the city, in addition to the 10 which are nearing completion. The idea is to provide Bangaloreans a comprehensive area-wise bus services,” transport minister R Ashoka told reporters here on Monday.
He said Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) will float tender to take up work at the Majestic bus stand on April 23 and begin the work in two months. With this, the minister said the KSRTC has initiated the process of shifting its services initially to the four satellite terminals and later to another six new satellite stations to be opened within 2-3 months. The BMTC service at Majestic, however, will remain unaffected for at least a year till the Metro work reaches a significant stage, he said.
“Simultaneously, we will take up construction of 10 more satellite stations across Bangalore depending on land availability and necessity,” Ashoka added.
Soon after setting up of the satellite terminals, around 200-300 KSRTC buses will ply from each of the terminals. “Each of the new terminal at an estimated cost of Rs 15-20 crore is expected to take about a year for construction,” he added.
Keeping in view the security threat in the wake of recent bomb blasts, the minister said the new terminals will be built to ensure maximum security. These stations will also be secured with CCTVs, advanced checking and surveillance system.
However, Ashoka said the Majestic bus stand will be revived once work on the Metro is complete. But it will cease to be a centralized terminus for all buses, since a part of the land will be handed over to BMRC for Metro station.
Rough road ahead for pvt bus operators
Bangalore: The state-run road transport corporations are planning to introduce about 1,000 buses this year to break the monopoly of private operators across the state.
“Private bus operators are trying to create a monopoly in some districts, particularly in coastal Karnataka. So we decided to launch a healthy competition even if it means waging a long battle,” transport minister R Ashoka told reporters on Monday.
Justifying the reason on why they wanted to break the monopoly of private operators, the minister said private buses jeopardized public safety and made passengers servile to their services. TNN