JOIN US'Hurry' renders TTMCs idle
The TTMCs were conceived as a multi-pronged approach to address acute shortage of parking space in the City. They were also supposed to provide shopping facility where people catch buses. The BMTC took up the construction of 10 TTMCs across the City with 35 per cent financial assistance from the Jawarharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and four of them have been functional on record.
The TTMCs ideally should include bus terminal, bus bays, platforms, seating and lighting facilities, information systems, safety and security, bus maintenance depot, washing platform, bus parking, services and utilities, fuel filling station, amenities for crew etc. It should also provide passenger amenities such as BangaloreOne kiosks and shopping for daily needs.
However, the ‘operationalisation’ of the four Centres have failed to address the problem they were intended to on account of varying factors. While some TTMCs have come up at places where there is no demand for parking space, the vehicles of government offices have monopolised the parking bay at some Centres.
Prime space
The Jayanagar TTMC is the best example to demonstrate the failure of the BMTC to capitalise on the prime land. With a built-up area of 7,535 square meters and constructed at a cost of Rs 14 crore, it was the first of such Centres inaugurated on July 31, 2009.
The parking yard with a capacity for 60 four-wheelers and 150 two-wheeleers is located on the terrace and the vehicles have to take a circuitous route. Commercial
establishments and offices have been allotted space in the first and second floors. Except the BMTC office and its pass issuing counters, the occupation is nil. No bank has come forward to have its ATM centre.
Railway Department has not responded to the BMTC’s request to set up its booking counter. Even the parking yard is not serving the purpose as vehicle owners find it cumbersome to traverse the long distance to the terrace and that too in the absence of a roof over the yard. Till a month ago, there was no elevator to reach the ground floor after parking the vehicle on the terrace. As a result, the bay is occupied only during week-ends.
An officer in charge of Jayanagar TTMC said the poor response was due to lack of elevator and the people have begun to use the parking space after installation of the elevator last month. He said tender process for a hotel had been finalised. Jayanagar RTO office, now located in Jayanagar shopping complex would soon be shifted to the TTMC. The efforts to have ATMs are yet to materialise as many banks have them close to the place.
Tenders not called
The Kengeri TTMC, built at a cost of Rs 40 crore, was inaugurated by Union Minister for Urban Development Jaipal Reddy in July this year. However, the parking yard for 200 four-wheelers and 1,200 two-wheelers is yet to be thrown open for public use.
The tender process has not been initiated.
The officer in charge said the commercial wing of the BMTC has invited tenders for parking yard. And, similar is the case with other basic amenities. While the details on washrooms constructed in the TTMCs were given enthusiastically, the query on basic amenities was met with a silence.
The Rs 108.5-cr Shantinagar TTMC has a multi-level car parking facility spread over seven floors. It can accommodate 580 four-wheelers and 600 two-wheelers. The parking yard will be supported by car elevators and this is first TTMC to have the facility as and when it becomes a reality.
The facility was inaugurated by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and Transport Minister R Ashoka in September this year. They had announced to name the facility after former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. However, the inauguration has not helped easing parking woes on the KH Road (Double Road). Except the bus terminal, a mall, a hotel and BMTC, KSRTC booking centres, hardly any service is available at the TTMC.
The entry and exit to the bus station at the TTMC is no easy task as KSRTC and Tamil Nadu government buses operate from here. The problem is compounded on holidays and festivals.
The TTMC in Bannerghatta is built at a cost of Rs 5.5 crore. There is no provision for parking yard here. BMTC Chief Civil Engineer T K Palanetra Naik said only basic facilities have been provided at the centre as people visiting Bannerghatta have parking facility provided by the biological park.
Deadline extended
Going by the deadline fixed when the work was allotted, all 10 TTMCs should have been inaugurated by October 2010. Naik attributed the delay in completion to rains in the last two months and said the civil work would be finished by December end.
"We require cooperation from the traffic police for work on Yeshwanthpur TTMC as the traffic has to be diverted for underground work,” he said.
Asked about poor public response for parking yard in Jayanagar TTMC, he said the traffic police should strictly prohibit parking on roadsides in Jayanagar so that all people would make use of the parking facility.
Five more
Meanwhile, the BMTC has decided to have TTMCs in five more places - Hebbal, Jayanagar ‘T’ Block, Padmanabhanagar, Indira Nagar and Malleswaram 18th Cross. But this will not be funded by JnNURM. The corporation will take up the project under a PPP model.
What is TTMC?
The Traffic and Transit Management Centres (TTMC) are supposed to be a one-stop shop for all facilities required for bus commuters. They should get facility to park their vehicles, shop and have food, draw money from ATMs, book journey tickets etc. At present four TTMCs are functional in Bangalore and six more are yet to be opened. The TTMC concept is the brain child of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation.