BENGALURU: Health clinics and diagnostic centres, bank extension outlets, post-offices or courier agencies and milk parlours are some of the medical and retail services that will soon come up at some Metro stations.
To better utilise vacant space, and also based on commuter feedback, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) is planning to attract retail services on 27,502 sqft at six of its Metro stations.
Tenders were called for in this connection for Baiyappannahalli, Swami Vivekananda Road, Indira Nagar, Halasuru, Trinity and MG Road stations on February 28.
Fruits and vegetable shops, quick service restaurants, bakery, takeaways, electronic appliances, books, stationery and cosmetic shops are among other facilities that can be availed at the stations in future. Of the total area to be offered for commercial outlets, Baiyappanahalli will have the maximum of 9,121 sqft while Trinity and MG Road will have 6.282 sqft and 5.062 sqft, respectively, according to the tender document. The maximum term of licence will be 12 years for each of the stations.
BMRCL Chief Public Relations Officer B L Yashavanth Chavan told TNIE that for the first time, one side of the MG Road Metro station (facing the Metro boulevard) will open up the premises inside its stations for commercial outlets.
The tender documents adds that it is the responsibility of the licensee to make arrangements for power and water supply for the construction of their outlets. In the past, numerous commercial outlets functioning inside stations during the last decade have shut shop with owners citing high rents clubbed with lack of sufficient patronage.
However, some of them had no connection with basic services that the public require. The pandemic and the massive reduction in footfalls, too, ensured closure of a few businesses. The last date for submission of bids is March 29 and the bidder will be finalised a day later, the tender states.