KSRTC proposes new bus terminal at Bannimantap for long-distance routes Stakeholders demand integration of public transport services November 06, 2024 – MYSURU The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has proposed a new bus terminal at Bannimantap to reduce congestion at the suburban stand and decongest traffic density in the heart of the city. This was stated by KSRTC Divisional Controller Srinivas at an interactive meeting of stakeholders convened by Mysore Grahakara Parishat, here on Wednesday.
Mr. Srinivas said that at present the suburban stand operates 2,600 services that covers both inter-district, intra-district and inter-state routes and the existing infrastructure was unable to cope with the traffic density. The proposed new bus stand on its own land would be spread over nearly 5 acres and will come up at a cost of ₹100 crore. Mr. Srinivas said the new facility will have over 18,000 sq.ft of space exclusively for vehicle parking which is a major issue and bane at the existing suburban stand. He said the existing stand will continue to be operational and the KSRTC proposes to retain it for short-distance routes in and around Mysuru to a maximum distance of about 60 to 80 km. Long-distance routes that entail travel over 80 km or 100 km and beyond, would be shifted to the proposed new stand at Bannimantap, said Mr. Srinivas. The suburban stand was designed to handle traffic load of nearly 1,000 to 1,500 services but it has grown over the years and was handling nearly 2,600 services on a regular basis. On special occasions like Dasara, this reached almost 3,000 services per day. Once the new terminal is created, nearly 1,000 services can be shifted from the suburban stand to help decongest the area, said Mr. Srinivas. The stakeholders said that the KSRTC should plan bearing in mind the long-term growth of the city and should cater to the next 50 years or more and should not be invest in a band-aid kind of approach to reduce congestion. Bhamy V. Shenoy of the MGP said any new facility executed without planning will only shift the problem of traffic density and congestion from one part of the city to another.
Yogendra of MGP and a strong advocate of promoting public transportation, urged the KSRTC to take the help of the Directorate of Urban Land Transport which is a specialized agency that conducts periodic assessment of travel demands, and plans for mobility management through preparation of comprehensive plans. Yadhunandan, retired professor of SJ College of Engineering, pointed out that the satellite bus stands constructed by the KSRTC on its own land in different corners of the city had failed to serve any purpose as they were built to utilise the available funds and let out the facility for rental gains. He suggested construction of bus stands at a suitable place along the Outer Ring Road and said that it should be used to divert bus services which will help ease traffic density in the heart of the city. Other stakeholders who spoke urged the KSRTC to ensure that there was integration of bus services with other modes of public transportation. Shifting Of KSRTC Sub-Urban Bus Stand To Bannimantap | Decide After Seeking Opinion Of All: MGP Nov 6 2024
Mysuru: Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) has urged KSRTC officials to take a call on building a new Bus Stand after seeking opinion of all those who matter representing various sections of the society. This resolution was taken during the ‘Monthly MGP meeting with KSRTC on handling congestion at KSRTC Bus Stand’ held under the Chairmanship of its President Shrishaila Ramannavar, at its office in Yadavagiri in city yesterday. The meeting was attended by experts from various sectors who aired their opinions in an interaction with KSRTC Divisional Controller (Rural) Srinivas, who took note of the suggestions and made efforts towards addressing the concerns raised by the experts.
Retired Prof. Yadunandan, a MGP Member, who welcomed the decision to shift Sub-urban Bus Stand, explained about the prevailing confusions in the minds of the general public about the feasibility of the place identified in Bannimantap for the new bus stand. “If the present bus stand is shifted elsewhere, the new bus stand should come up at an ideal location that can be accessed by all. It would be conducive, if the bus stand is constructed near Outer Ring Road (ORR) or any vast land, with better connectivity to Airport and Railway Station, along with boosting commercial sector. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) should be oriented towards the development of Mysuru, including the plans to check traffic snarls,” suggested Prof. Yadunandan. In his reply, KSRTC DC Srinivas said, KSRTC is committed towards establishing new bus stand in any part of the city. The existing bus stand is facing a severe congestion stemming the emergent need for a new bus stand. In the last one-and-a-half years, seven accidents are reported in the bus stand and two passengers have lost their lives. Owing to traffic issues, it takes about 30 minutes to operate one bus. Taking all these into consideration, we have to take steps to ease the pressure on the bus stand, that is crowded with passengers from 7 am to 10 am and 5 pm to 9 pm. Besides, parking space has to be provided to station over 270 buses on their arrival from various destinations.
P. Vishwanath, former Mayor and Secretary of Vidyavardhaka Sangha said, instead of operating the bus stand in a congested place, it is better to operate the facility from the outskirts that would benefit all. However, KSRTC DC Srinivas said, if the bus stand is built in the outskirts it would least serve the purpose, but such plans can be explored during the creation of new district centres. It would be not feasible in already developed cities. The existing bus stand can handle the operation of 25 buses at a time, but a total of 2,600 buses including those of inter-State, district and local routes are being operated now. About 65 acres of land belonging to KSRTC is available at Bannimantap and the consent of Government has been sought for the new bus stand in 13 acres of land. No full shifting of bus stand Srinivas also explained that, the bus stand won’t be shifted to the proposed new station fully, except for the operation of buses on Mysuru rural, Mysuru-Mandya, Mysuru-Hassan, Mysuru-Kodagu and Mysuru-Chamarajanagar districts routes, that will continue in the present bus stand. Plans are on the anvil to operate inter-State and inter-district buses from Bannimantap. Founder-President of MGP Bhami V. Shenoy, MGP Member Nataraj, President of Mysuru Hotel Owners Association C.
Narayanagowda and hotelier Ravi Shastri, also aired their opinions. MGP Members S. Shobhana, S.V. Shekar, Ramu Agarwal, Vasanth, Rakesh, K.V. Ramanath, Arunkumar Shetty, D.V. Dayanand Sagar, B. Srinivas, G. Sridhar, S. Yogendra, K.V. Bhanu Prashanth, Dr. Nataraj, C.N. Sudheendra, N.T. Raj and others were present.