KOCHI: The plan of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to shift its operations to a new complex near Karikkamuri received a major jolt with the half-finished structure proving weak.
When Express visited the site, it was evident that the walls of the building have started to crack, owing to the marshy nature of the soil.
“Piling had to be done before starting such a project in this marshy land. It should be suspected that the contractor decided to avoid piling work to make huge profit,” said a KSRTC employee. Though the stone-laying was done on September 26, 2014, the contractor had delayed the project funded by Ernakulam MLA Hibi Eden. The MLA had released Rs two crore from his fund for the project. The new terminal was planned on the land adjacent to the current stand while a new shopping-cum-commercial complex will be set up at the current stand after demolishing the building.
Meanwhile, Hibi Eden MLA has demanded black listing the contractor for the delay and unscientific construction. “The stone-laying function was held on September 2014 and the work was scheduled to be completed on June 2015 but it is not yet over. The contractor should be blacklisted or given a short deadline,” said Hibi Eden.
The present building at Ernakulam Depot is in a pathetic state with water pooling up during rain. “Once they complete the bus bay, steps will be taken to allocate more fund for the commercial complex building,” Hibi said.