HYDERABAD: As the city is expanding fast on all sides, the need for more passenger bus terminals and depots on the peripherals has become more urgent.
But the scarcity of government land on the outskirts is delaying establishment of the depots.
According to the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), there is a proposal to establish 16 depots and 20 bus terminals around the Outer Ring Road (ORR).
Recently senior RTC officials met Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) Commissioner KS Jawahar Reddy requesting him to provide lands so that the desired public amenities can be put in place.
Though HMDA officials reacted positively, it is learnt that it would not be easy to provide land because of lack of government land around the ORR.
In the coming days the RTC plans to increase the number of bus services between the twin cities and localities surrounding the ORR. ``Immediately APSRTC does not have much requirement for bus depots and bus terminals but for future requirements it is certainly needed. There is a need to develop infrastructure facilities to catch up to the future requirement,’’ a senior APSRTC official told Express. The bus depots will come in handy taking into consideration the plan for introduction of additional 1,000 buses in the city.
HMDA officials have asked the authorities of APSRTC to identify the locations were the depots and bus terminals are required before any decision is taken.
APSRTC has already taken up works for the construction of bus terminals at Koti, Mehdipatnam, Kukatpally, Patancheru, ECIL Crossroads, Farooqnagar and Shamshabad under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The proposed 20 bus terminals will be in addition to those which are already in construction. Each bus terminal will cost Rs 5.5 crore.
The APSRTC has also put forward a proposal at the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) meeting requesting the municipal authorities to provide land at 220 locations in the city to construct bus bays.
Bus bays will help the passengers avoid standing on the road since a bus stop will be constructed along the road, creating a curved pathway.
However, there is not much headway on the proposal.