The State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) has proposed to build a modern bus terminal-cum-commercial complex at its bus stand in the city.
The bus terminus would be developed under the public-private partnership mode on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) model with a 35-year concession period.
The SETC has already called for proposals for the project.
A portion of the SETC bus stand, situated close to both the Central Bus Stand and the Railway Junction on the Rockins Road, was demolished a few years back.
The notification for request for proposals stated that the Corporation wanted to improve services to passengers and “partly relieve” the congestion at the Central Bus Stand by developing an alternative bus terminal with high class facilities.
The scope of the project would include construction of the bus terminal with efficient parking and operating facilities for the Corporation along with allied facilities such as convenience shops, toilets and other amenities.
The project would involve the construction, operation and maintenance of the commercial complex in the premises.
The developer would be allowed to collect lease rental from commercial or retail space.
Interestingly, the SETC operates most of its buses from the Central Bus Stand in the city currently. SETC officials and crew also preferred to operate from the Central Bus Stand to attract passengers. Consequently, separate bus bays have been allotted for the SETC at the Central Bus Stand.
The SETC bus stand, cramped for space, has remained almost defunct for all operational purposes with only the offices.
It has been used for parking a few buses of the corporation otherwise. The tender calling for proposals states that the site (about 0.47 acres) had an excellent frontage and was ideal for development of recreational/retail/office/hotel facility.
The previous government had planned to reconstruct the bus stand at an estimate of Rs.2 crore, a few years back.
The latest move by the Corporation has caught civic activists by surprise, especially in the wake of the efforts taken by the Tiruchi Corporation and the district administration to establish an integrated bus stand in the city.
“We are at a loss to understand the rationale behind the move. The site is too small to accommodate a proper bus stand. Already a few bus bays constructed some years back at the bus stand was demolished,” observed N.Ramakrishnan, convenor, Federation of Welfare Organisations.
