A new terminal with capacity to accommodate 72 buses has been proposed in the second phase of the Vytilla Mobility Hub project.
This was one of the several proposals discussed at a meeting of the executive committee of the Vytilla Mobility Hub Society (VMHS) chaired by Chief Secretary Nalini Netto in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla was present.
Multi-level parking facilities for four-wheelers and two-wheelers, separate terminal for city buses, walkway between the proposed metro station alongside the hub and boat jetty, widening of the entry and exit points of the hub, development of Kaniyampuzha Road, maintenance of green cover along Kaniyampuzha river, leaving open space for future development, high-quality track inside the hub and a separate terminal for inter-State buses were the other proposals taken up at the meeting. Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has been asked to submit a detailed project report (DPR) at the next meeting of the executive committee to be held in a month.
It will be duly placed before the governing body of VMHS, chaired by the Chief Minister, for approval.
A decision on the funding pattern and the agency to be approached will be taken on the basis of the KMRL report, which is likely to detail the financial requirements for the next 25 years.
Initially, the French development agency, Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), alone had offered to extend loan for the second phase of the project.
However, it is now learnt that the State government’s Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) is also in contention.
VMHS may have to take a decision one way or the other before long considering that the Phase-II development spread over 25 acres will have to be completed before the Kochi metro starts operations through the stretch.
