Minister for Transport, R. Ashok, said on Wednesday that the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has been adjudged as the country’s best transport corporation and the Centre had appreciated the infrastructure created in the State for public transport and passenger services.
Among the mass transport corporations, KSRTC stood first in revenue earning in the country and fourth in the world, which, according to him, was a matter of pride, the Minister said.
Speaking after inaugurating the city bus stand modernised at a cost of Rs. 11.50 crore under JNNURM, he said Mysore was the first among the cities identified under JNNURM where a transport project (city bus stand) had been commissioned.
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The efforts of KSRTC in providing comfortable travel to its commuters and the new ticketing system had come in for praise. “I feel the credit for this should go to the staff of the KSRTC,” he said.
Mr. Ashok said Mysore had been given special attention in developing transport infrastructure as it was the “city of future”.
“We will give the much-needed attention to develop state-of-the-art infrastructure, keeping in mind convenience and comforts of commuters,” he added.
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Referring to criticism over delay in inaugurating the renovated bus stand, the Minister said the bus stand had been modernised 10 months before the deadline.
The city bus stand had been remodelled suiting the architecture of the palace fort. “We took care to develop a design that resembles as a portion of the palace fort,” the Minister said.
Mr. Ashok said Rs. 11.50 crore had been spent on the project of the estimated cost Rs. 15.97 crore and added that the remaining Rs. 3 crore would be used for work under phase 2 of the city bus stand. Modernisation of the mofussil bus-stand was under way at a cost of Rs. 23.5 crore.
The KSRTC had taken steps to construct more bus terminuses with good facilities for passengers.
“All of us need good public transport and amenities. We have started the process which needs to be strengthened,” he said.
Disclosing that Rs. 109 crore was being spent on developing state-of-the-art transport infrastructure under JNNURM in Mysore, he said Rs. 450 crore on transport infrastructure was being spent under JNNURM in Bangalore. Bus stands had been planned at H.D. Kote, K.R. Nagar, Kittur in Periyapatna and Bannur, he added.
Chief Minister, B.S. Yeddyurappa, who was supposed to inaugurate the bus stand, and Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Shobha Karandlaje, who was the chief guest, could not attend the function owing to the political developments in the State. Chief Minister’s Parliamentary Secretary S.A. Ramdas presided over the function. Mysore MP H. Vishwanath, KHB Chairman G.T. Deve Gowda, Mayor Purushottam, KSRTC Vice-Chairman Jaggesh, KSRTC MD Gaurav Gupta, Deputy Commissioner P. Manivannan, Police Commissioner Sunil Agarwal, Divisional Controller (Urban) M.N. Srinivas, and MLAs and MLCs from Mysore district were present.