BRTS bringing modern bus stand, workshop, depot for NWKRTC

The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), which has come under sharp criticism for inordinate delay in project implementation and inconvenience caused to the public, has brought some valuable infrastructure upgradation for the North-Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), in the form of state-of-the-art regional terminal at Hosur, modern depot for city buses, and a high-tech workshop.

The Hubballi-Dharwad BRTS Company Limited is constructing regional workshop and city bus depot on 17 acres of land, at an estimated cost of Rs 59 crore. These facilities are coming up on the NWKRTC's land where a depot and workshop were functioning earlier.

When the NWKRTC Chairman Sadanand Danganavar visited the regional terminal being constructed at Hosur here on Monday, BRTS officials informed that the 90% of works are already completed, and the new facilities would be ready by January end.

A speciality of the regional terminal, which has 22 platforms for long-route buses is that it is designed in such a way that passengers do not get face to face with moving buses, as they have separate paths. Entry and exit for buses to this bus stand are from Hosur-Unkal Cross Road, where a subway would also be there for passengers.

Inside the bus stand, subways would connect each platform. It would also have ramps, elevators, and escalators, they explained, adding that seven platforms are developed for city buses also.

From Hubballi-Dharwad road side, passengers who come by BRTS buses have to use the ramp or elevators to enter the regional terminal. Autorickshaws and other vehicles can also drop passengers from this direction, they noted, clarifying that BRTS buses would not come inside this terminal.

"Passengers who come by long-route buses, can change buses to other distant places, or can catch city bus or BRTS bus from here. Those coming by BRTS or city buses can get long-route buses here," Mr Danganavar said.

However, this bus stand can be utilised fully only after Hosur-Unkal Cross gets widened, otherwise, it would cause traffic congestion with existing width of the road, he said.

The city bus depot constructed adjacent to the regional terminal can accommodate 150 buses, he added.

Modern workshop

On Gokul Road, the H-D BRTS Company Limited is constructing divisional workshop for the NWKRTC, on 3.5 acres of land, at a cost of Rs 27 crore. Office, stores, repairs station, and other facilities are developed here.

"For the first time in the State, this workshop will have four fully-automatic painting booths, and cost of each booth is Rs one crore," said H-D BRTS Company Limited Managing Director M G Hiremath, adding that BRTS buses would be also brought here for major maintenance works.

Adjacent to the New Bus Stand, the BRTS depot is also coming up at a cost of Rs 23 crore, on five acres of land. It has modern facilities like automatic washing, daily general check-up, maintenance, fuel station, restrooms, and rainwater harvesting system, H-D BRTS Company Limited Deputy General Manager (Infrastructure) Basavaraj Keri noted, adding that it would be operational by January end.

Subway for Old Bus Stand

The H-D BRTS Company Limited has already started the digging work to construct a BRTS bus station in front of the Old Bus Stand, and a subway would also be developed there, connecting both sides of the road in front of the Old Bus Stand.

In front of the railway station, the company is developing a bus shelter on 25,000 square feet of area for the operations of city buses, with drinking water and toilet facilities, and this is expected to reduce the pressure on the CBT also, Mr Danganavar added.