Land issues delay revamp of  Maddilapalem RTC bus station

Non-payment of loans emerges as a barrier for floating of tenders, say officials  
Heavy traffic congestion near the Maddilapalem Junction in Visakhapatnam remains a concern for both officials and motorists | Express
Heavy traffic congestion near the Maddilapalem Junction in Visakhapatnam remains a concern for both officials and motorists | Express

VISAKHAPATNAM: The long-pending proposal for setting up an integrated bus terminal-cum-commercial complex at Maddilapalem bus station is gathering dust. The project has not moved an inch since June last year owing to non-clearance of several loans taken by the APSRTC.


Being a city centre and a major junction after the Dwaraka bus station, the RTC authorities had proposed to upgrade the Maddilapalem bus station into an integrated bus terminal last year with an estimated budget of `250 crore. 


In June 2016, the then RTC managing director N Sambasiva Rao, during his visit to Visakhapatnam, announced that the tenders for the project would be floated in the next few weeks. 


According to RTC authorities, in the integrated bus terminal, the ground floor would be for the buses and passengers, while the rest of the floors could be given to shopping complexes, theatres, entertainment zones and food courts. However, the number of floors to be constructed and the allocation of other storeys will depend on the viability of the location and area. As per the RTC, the developers are supposed to recover the maintenance cost from the revenue generated by the commercial complex. 


“The floating of tenders has been delayed by 10 months. There are a few issues pending with the seven acre land where the Maddilapalem bus station and depot are situated. Once the site issues are cleared, the project will begin,” said APSRTC executive director, Vizianagaram Zone, A Ramakrishna. 


However, another senior RTC official, on condition of anonymity, said that the project had hit a roadblock owing to non-payment of the loans. 


“Maddilapalem RTC bus station is under mortgage now as the `300-core taken by the RTC in the past is yet to be repaid,” he said.  However, RTC officials said many development activities had been undertaken at Dwaraka bus station at a cost of `70 lakh to provide passengers’ amenities. Plans are also afoot to develop MVP bus depot.

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