The work of the petrol pump at the Vyttila Mobility Hub which was expected to commence this month may be put off due to the delay in receiving the administrative sanction. The tanks meant for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL)-owned petrol pump are lying idle at the entrance of the Mobility Hub for the past one month. According to officials with the hub, they had expected the BPCL to get the sanction to start the work sooner. “Initially, we were told that the BPCL only had to submit a request to the Kochi Corporation Town Planning Committee besides the other formal requests to other quarters. Based on this, we already got the sanction of the Committee. But now we have been informed that the request will have to be forwarded to the higher authorities in Thiruvananthapuram as the project is part of the upgradation of the Vyttila Hub. This may take some time,” said Vyttila Mobility Hub Society Engineer Simon.
Also, since the petrol pump had not been included in the master plan of the first phase, the formalities for the sanction will take time. “In the master plan, the plot of land selected for the petrol pump has been marked as vacant. However, we expect to receive the other formal sanctions immediately,” the officials said.
The Vyttila Mobility Hub Society has handed over 48 cents of land to the BPCL on lease. According to Simon, it would take only three months to complete the work after getting the nod. The service will be available for all buses on the route. This is the only pump which is available in the area, hence it is expected to be a major boost for the public, the authorities said. The BPCL will be taking up the work on a company operated and maintained basis. The petrol pump will be set up at the left side of the entrance to the hub.