CHENNAI: The new bus terminus planned at Kilambakkam, near Vandalur, for south-bound buses, could be the State’s first bus terminus that may come up on Built-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, if a suggestion by the technical committee supervising the project is accepted. This means any government agency or private company engaged in constructing the bus terminus could be allowed to operate the terminus to generate revenue and recover cost of the construction.
The technical committee of the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), which has approved the 66-acre plan for the bus terminus, has suggested the BOT model for the new terminus. It was also suggested that Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation can take over the project on a cost-sharing basis. Sources said the Koyambedu bus terminus, which is being directly administered by CMDA, is poorly maintained, and hoped that the BOT model, though it may lead to a small user fee, would offer better facilities for the passengers.
The approved plan of the bus terminus, which would come close to the Vandalur zoo, envisages a bus terminus that would be on 66 acres and has capacity to house 210 buses. The planned amenities include a multi-level car and twowheeler parking and a flyover that enables hassle-free movement of buses from GST Road. A bus terminus exclusively for south-bound buses is a long-pending project aimed at decongesting Koyambedu bus terminus. Finding a suitable land for the project was delaying the project for years. Even in the new project, the final approval of Arachaeological Survey of India is awaited.
An ASI-protected Megalithic Burial Sites is close to the land selected for the bus terminus. Sources said since the technical committee has approved the plan of the bus terminus, the approval of the steering committee would be more or a less a formality. The construction cost of the terminus could be known after the detailed project report is prepared. Overall, 66 acres of the 88 acres site will be used to build the bus terminus and other amenities.
The bus terminus area will be around 32.44 acres. The terminus will also have a terminus for MTC buses, a bus depot, parking lots and service area. The project site also includes a few parcels of private lands and officials said they would be compensated by allocating alternative lands. It is learnt there are also plans to segregate visitors and allow only passengers to enter the ‘bus fingers’, the platform where the buses are parked.