Steps to prevent waterlogging at Ernakulam KSRTC bus stand soon: Ganesh Kumar
Transport Minister to visit bus station on Saturday
Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar on Friday promised urgent measures to prevent waterlogging at the old KSRTC bus stand in Ernakulam.
Mr. Ganesh Kumar informed the State Assembly that he would visit the bus station on Saturday afternoon to assess the situation. A proposal to prevent overflow from the nearby Vivekananda canal to the bus station premises was being examined, he said.
The dismal state of the KSRTC bus stand was brought to the notice of the Assembly when Congress MLA T.J. Vinod, through a submission, sought urgent measures to address hardships faced by passengers. The entire premises get waterlogged even in brief showers, causing intense hardship to passengers, he said.
Mr. Vinod also complained that no progress had been made on a ₹12-crore project for constructing a new bus terminal in the plot near the existing KSRTC stand.
Mr. Ganesh Kumar replied that work on the ₹12-crore project could begin once a Vigilance inquiry into the flawed construction of an existing building on the selected site was wrapped up. “We have given a letter to the Chief Minister seeking permission to demolish the structure if the Vigilance probe is over,” he said.
Earlier, Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) had agreed to provide ₹12 crore for the construction of the new bus stand on the land owned by the KSRTC at Karikkamury. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in this regard in January. The foundation stone was yet to be laid despite the announcement that it would be done in February, Mr. Vinod said.
In his submission on Friday, the MLA noted that the old bus stand, inaugurated in 1968, was vulnerable to heavy waterlogging even in brief showers. Around 89 buses operated from the stand and 479 buses passed through it. The stand was used by nearly 25,000 people every day, he pointed out.
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