Close on the heels of Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) allocating ₹12 crore to develop a bus stand on land owned by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) at Karikkamury, the work on the stand is set to begin on the basis of permissive sanction granted by the Corporation.
The Vyttila Mobility Hub Society (VMHS) and KSRTC would ink an agreement in this regard later on. In June, the KSRTC had agreed to hand over four acres of its land at Karikkamury – located near its existing bus stand, to Vyttila Mobility Hub. This was in return for the VMHS handing over three acres at the hub to KSRTC. Ultimately, this will enable both KSRTC and private buses to operate from the same premises, in both the locales, official sources said.
As per plan, both KSRTC and private buses will operate from the bus stand proposed at Karikkamury. It will have a 12-m wide access from the road in front. Within the premises, there will be 26 bus-boarding slots, including 20 for private buses. A three-metre wide pedestrian pathway will connect the premises with Ernakulam Junction railway station that is located just a little away. This will in turn also enable easier access to the adjacent metro station.
The Kerala State Construction Corporation (KSCC) would ready a DPR for the project and also take up the construction work. The DPR will take into account, among other aspects, the outcome of a traffic assessment study that the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) would carry out in three months. A separate entry and exit had been envisaged for buses to lessen congestion and to streamline their movement on the stand premises, the sources said.
The land identified for the stand at Karikkamury is considered less vulnerable to inundation than the existing KSRTC stand premises when the city encounters above-average rainfall.
The 2,110-sq.m. integrated bus terminal proposed at Karikkamury will cover 17% of the three-acre premises. Apart from 26 bus-boarding slots, there will be staff rest rooms, seats for 168 passengers, bus-washing facility and a modern drainage system. There will be separate entry and exit for private vehicles and their parking space.
