KOZHIKODE: The tender proceedings regarding space allocation at the KSRTC bus terminal on Mavoor Road have failed to move forward in accordance with the assurances given by Minister for Transport Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and it has drawn the ire of people from various quarters.
It was on September 27, 2014, that the minister promised transparency in the tender proceedings and priority for the entrepreneurs in the city, saying that opportunities would be given to small entrepreneurs to bid for the tenders. The minister was attending a meeting of the people’s representatives and officials concerned here. The assurance was given in the wake of the irregularities reported in the tender proceedings of the bus terminal in Thiruvananthapuram, where benefits, allegedly, went only to the real estate mafia.
In what could be termed as a sheer violation of the assurances, the Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation (KTDFC) has invited tenders for the entire commercial space of 2,26,086.83 sq ft as a single unit with a base rent of `1.87 crore and a base value deposit of `73 crore. There is strong dissent among the merchants in the city against this.
Citing that the tenders have been invited in violation of the promises given by the minister, Kozhikode District Merchants Association president C E Chakkunni says the businessmen in the city have been utterly neglected.
“The tender proceedings should be revised in favour of the businessmen in the city. The entrepreneurs were pinning hopes on the terminal, expecting it could uplift their business. What the authorities are doing is extending a helping hand to the real estate mafia,” says Chakkunni.
Adding further, Chakkunni says the move will help the officials concerned and thus lead to corruption and financial irregularities.
Calicut Chamber of Commerce and Industry functionary P T S Unni says that the authorities concerned have failed to meet the demands of the city. “The benefits of the terminal should be ensured to the local business community,” he says.
The organisations functioning for the welfare of the businessmen in the city are all set to resort to a strong mode of protest against the move. “The chief minister should intervene in the issue in a bid to ensure due representation for the entrepreneurs in the city and the opinion of the businessmen should be heard. Otherwise, the move will be confronted with strong agitations,” says Chakkunni.
Meanwhile, the KSRTC employees are frustrated as the terminal has failed to meet their expectations.
In compliance with the demand of A Pradeep Kumar MLA, the Minister for Transport had promised that adequate space would be allocated in the terminal for setting up a canteen, where food could be served at moderate rates. The minister had also promised space for the office of the Employees Cooperative Society. “Earlier, a canteen had been run for the employees at the KSRTC bus stand. The employees cannot buy food from the private cafeterias which will come up at the terminal,” says a KSRTC senior official.
“We have been demanding space for a cooperative society office and an employees’ canteen. The authorities should, at least, consider the demand for a canteen. But it seems the demands will be rejected as no action has been taken in this regard,” he adds.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the KTDFC resorted to the present move to avoid the possible difficulties.
“If the total space is allocated as separate units, it will invite trouble. It is difficult to collect the monthly rent and moreover, the KTDFC has to sign agreements with each tenant. The tenders have been invited in the present way to avert such impediments,” says KTDFC project manager P Venugopal.
Building Owners Forced to Reduce Prices of Space
Kozhikode: As the tender proceedings for space allocation at the KSRTC bus terminal on Mavoor Road have begun, the real estate sector has become competitive.
If the recent experiences of some entrepreneurs in the city are taken into account, building owners are compelled to reduce the prices of commercial space.
A young entrepreneur from Malappuram, who is running a shop on Mavoor Road, shares with City Express the experience he had a few days ago.
Soon after the tenders were invited, he told his owner that the KSRTC terminal seemed a better option, as it was located in a prime spot, and the rent was also favourable. He says the owner immediately reduced `5,000 from the rent of `40,000, which he pays monthly for 1,100 sq ft of space. “Entrepreneurs tend to shift to convenient spaces if they are drawn by anything favourable in terms of accessibility or price. As the terminal is situated in one of the prime spots in the city, a competition in the real estate field is likely to come forth,” says Kozhikode District Merchants Association president C E Chakkunni.
Meanwhile, a real estate broker, on condition of anonymity, rules out such a trend saying the terminal cannot bring in any competition in the real estate sector.