The government city bus stand, which has been constructed at a cost of ₹4 crore near the private city bus stand, is expected to be inaugurated within a month.
While low-floor government city buses were introduced here about three-and-a-half years ago, there was no bus stand for them to wait. People had to wait either under the sun during the summer or stand under their umbrellas during the monsoon.
The new bus stand, constructed on 34 cents, will provide a proper place for the passengers. This bus stand will be a two-storey building.
16 shops
The platform for the passengers to wait is on the ground floor. The entire building will have 16 shops, including a cafeteria and a hall on the top floor. A 1,000 sqft. area has been marked for the parking of two-wheelers, while 800 sqft. has been set aside for four-wheelers.
Sources in the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) said that tenders had already been floated for the occupancy of the shops in the building. The shops will start functioning after the inauguration of the bus stand, sources said.
Aruna S.N., Divisional Controller, KSRTC, Mangaluru Division, said that the new stand will be inaugurated within three to four weeks. “Presently, there are 28 low-floor city buses operating in Udupi city,” he said.
The operation of the city buses was a monopoly of the private sector, when the State decided to introduce low-floor city buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme, about three-and-a-half years ago.
