JOIN USReport on revival of transport corporations suggests Karnataka govt to decongest Majestic
The report on revival of the state road transport corporations (RTC) has brought to the fore the issue of decongesting the Majestic area while stressing the need to increase passenger amenities at bus stations.
The one-man committee of M R Sreenivasa Murthy has suggested that the 40-acre Kempegowda Bus Station (KBS) should be redeveloped into a ‘fitting monument for the founder of the city’.
“KBS area of 40 acres can be developed into an iconic cultural hub combined with continuing transport facilities: a city museum or cultural-cum-recreation complex will represent the spirit of Bengaluru,” the report said.
While the bus station of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s (BMTC) is the city’s lifeline, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation’s (KSRTC) station is the hub for two other regional RTCs. Together with Namma Metro and railways, the area sees lakhs of footfalls everyday.
The four RTCs have been told to look for alternative routing to reduce the pressure on the city centre. Speaking about the decline in the departure of KSRTC buses, it said passengers prefer boarding buses at different pick up points. “City buses need to have alternative routing for decongesting the city centre,” it said.
It is not the first time experts have stressed the need to redevelop the KBS area. In 2008, a study commissioned by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) had warned about the problems becoming “more intense”.
The DULT study had recommended several works, including intersection improvement, widening of roads, structural works, widening of some of the access roads while maintaining good pedestrian amenities like footpath, foot over bridges and subways.
In fact, the KSRTC in 2005 had proposed to build a bus station along with a commercial building but put off the plan to wait for completion of the metro project. Later, in 2011, a feasibility report was prepared to build a transit hub that integrates bus, metro and railway services while a 40-storey building brought revenue through renting of commercial space. The project was shelved due to the estimated cost of Rs 1,800 crore.
The one-man committee has now stated that viability gap funding was inevitable to keep public transport alive and suggested that Rs 10,000 crore should be mobilised by 2030.
“Redeveloping Majestic by prioritising pedestrians and public transport will not only address congestion in the long term but also ensures higher income for all the players providing public transport services,” he said.
Without taking the name of BMLTA, the Sreenivasa Murthy committee has stressed need for a “Joint Consultative Board of Experts” to bring together four RTCs along with representatives from railways, Namma Metro and civil aviation for better planning the transport services.
In the absence of the Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA), each transport service provider has been planning projects in individual capacity, leading to chaotic development of the mobility infrastructure. The committee’s report to the government has stressed the need for such an authority.
The committee has also upheld the division of the RTCs in Karnataka, noting that each individual RTC is performing on par with a larger RTC like the one in Andhra Pradesh.