BANGALORE: If you are in the habit of taking your two wheeler to the Kempegowda Bus Stand (KBS) and parking it there before boarding a bus, look around for alternate parking arrangements. The two wheeler parking stand at KBS has stopped functioning from January 1 as the land is to be taken over by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) for construction of the metro station at KBS.
However, long time visitors to KBS allege that there is more than enough vacant space in KBS to accommodate at least a part of the total two wheelers, which will be displaced by closing the parking lot. “There is at least 4,000 sq ft of space available on KBS premises where the Tamil Nadu buses were parked earlier. This can be used to accommodate at least 250 vehicles,” says Ramakrishna, the contractor of the current parking lot. He has even submitted a letter to the KSRTC officials asking them to consider the suggestion as a temporary measure.
KSRTC officials however maintain that there is no space available as all free space is required by the BMRCL. They say that while the they are yet to receive any such request from BMRCL, they are pre-empting the move and stating that there is no vacant land.
With the Metro Station expected to take at least two years to complete, commuters to KBS are in for many long days of hunting for parking space around the area and it promises to be a long and tiring hunt considering that KBS is located in the heart of the city and is surrounded by thousands of shops.
The current parking lot has already been cut down to around 5,000 sq ft from 16,000 sq ft according to the contractor. It can accommodate around 400 two wheelers on a busy day. But, now visitors will have no where to park as KSRTC has not been able to arrange any alternative parking space for the vehicles.
“There is no space for buses. We are shifting our operations out of KBS as and when possible. We will not be able to arrange for alternative space as there is no vacant space,” says a KSRTC official. He however did not give a fixed date as to when the land would be handed over to BMRCL. “The North portion of the underground stretch will pass through KBS, we will take the land when it is given,” said B L Y Chavan, spokesperson, BMRCL.
However, traffic police seem to understand the cascade of problems set to hit KBS area following the closure of the parking lot. “It was a nice parking space and now it will be gone. Traffic snarls are expected to rise as people will take time to know about the absence of parking in KBS,” says a Traffic Police officer.
He explained that BMRCL was slated to carry out blasting work on KBS premises and vacating the parking lot was a precautionary measure to avoid damages. “If it is not demolished, we will look at using it for as long as possible. We won’t start booking cases straight away as the public needs some time to absorb
the information,” he said. This is a temporary relief.