Antony Raju, Minister for Transport, said on Wednesday that preliminary discussions were on to shift the present KSRTC bus station in Ernakulam to the nearby 3.46-acre land at Karikkamuri.
In his reply to a submission by T. J. Vinod, MLA, on the flooding at the bus station and its poor infrastructural condition, Mr. Raju said that the State budget presented in January had proposed a modern bus station at the 3.46-acre plot in the financial year 2021-22. The present bus station and garage will be shifted. Discussions were on to set up a commercial complex at the 4.7-acre land in which the bus station is currently located, he said.
The Minister said that efforts would be made to explore funding under the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board or through joint ventures with government agencies. The development of the road from the railway station to the bus station as part of the Ernakulam South-Ernakulam North corridor will ease the transportation hurdles in the region, he said.
Mr. Raju sought the cooperation of the district administration, Irrigation department and other agencies in checking waterlogging and flooding at the bus station. The situation could be improved through the “Operation Breakthrough” initiative of the district administration to clean up the canals, he said.
