KOCHI : As part of the plan to modernise the Ernakulam KSRTC bus station, a memorandum of understanding was signed on Monday for the construction of a facility modelled on the Vyttila Mobility Hub. The foundation stone for the Rs 12-crore project will be laid on February 24.
The MoU was signed at a meeting presided over by Local Self-government Minister M B Rajesh and attended by Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar, Industries Minister P Rajeeve, Chief Secretary R Venu and Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, among others.
The bus station will have new-look facilities for passengers, including a waiting area. The Kerala State Construction Corporation has been entrusted with the task of executing the project. The Vyttila Mobility Hub Society will be given the right of possession of the site proposed for the Ernakulam KSRTC bus station. A detailed project report will be prepared after soil testing. The plan is to build a station where passengers can board KSRTC and private buses.
“With the completion of the project, the city will have two hubs for KSRTC and private buses. The project can improve connectivity and will also be helpful for tourists,” Rajeeve said.
The new mobility hub is being constructed on 2.9 acres that the KSRTC owns at Karikkamuri, with the Cochin Smart Mission allocating Rs 12 crore for the project.
Last year, the stakeholders had approved a new land-swap arrangement with the Vyttila mobility hub for the construction of the Ernakulam KSRTC bus station. It has been in a poor state for the past several years with recurring waterlogging and flooding during rains, broken and rusty seats, mosquito menace and inadequate lighting, making it a hub of anti-social elements.
Meanwhile, the Cochin Smart Mission said in a statement that it has executed development projects worth Rs 701.97 crore in Kochi. Of that, the state government share is Rs 347 crore while the Centre has sanctioned Rs 343 crore. The remaining Rs 11.97 crore is the share of Kochi corporation.