Majestic bus stand of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) completed 50 years of its operations on Sunday. Commuters see this as an opportunity for the KSRTC, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Namma Metro, and South Western Railway that operate out of the area to improve infrastructure and transform it into an inter-modal transport hub.
Every day, 12 lakh to 13 lakh people pass through Majestic, but the absence of integration among various modes of transport adds to their commuting woes. People are forced to cross busy roads at the risk of being knocked down by vehicles. The road between KSRTC and BMTC bus stands, for instance, has proved fatal for many passenger in the past. Subways connecting the bus stands with the railway station are poorly maintained.
Rajashekar, a regular BMTC passenger, expressed a similar opinion. “This is not a new problem, but the authorities are not doing anything about it. In the backdrop of the bus stand completing 50 years, they must take steps to interlink the stations,” he said.
It was only last year, after a long delay, that the BMRCL opened a walkway for passengers to access the subway connecting the railway station to the BMTC bus stand.
Failed plans
For more than a decade, the KSRTC has been planning to provide seamless connectivity by linking all modes of transport in the area, but so far the plan has remained only on paper. In 2011, the KSRTC made an attempt to build an inter-modal transit centre — a 45-storeyed building with an investment of ₹1,500 crore under public-private partnership model — but the project was shelved by the State government after only one company showed interest.
Today, nearly eight years later, the KSRTC continues to look for solutions. Managing director Shivayogi C. Kalasad said, “Due to the space crunch, we have to go for vertical development of the available land. We are working on the feasibility of building the inter-modal hub involving various agencies.”
The corporation had provided over seven-acres of land to the BMRCL to build the underground station which is operational now.
Transport expert Ashish Verma said, “Lack of coordination has resulted in poor state of integration at Majestic bus stand. The golden jubilee of Majestic bus stand shall make all the transport agencies to come closer and chalk out a detailed plan. Integration of various modes of transport will help in increased footfall of public transport.”
To upgrade existing roads surrounding Majestic, the BBMP has taken up projects as per TenderSURE standards where the width of a pavement of should be at least two to three metres.
“The existing footpaths at Majestic are in a very bad shape. At some places, the width of the footpath is not even one metre. However, this will change once the projects are completed. Important roads such as Dhanvanthari Road, Subedar Chatram Road, and Gubbi Thotadappa Road are covered.”
(This is the fifth part of a series on the city’s central bus stand)
