New bus complex in Karikkamuri moving at snail's pace

Kochi: The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation’s (KSRTC) plans to shift operations to a swanky new complex in Karikkamuri near the current depot here have not yet materialized because the Rs two crore project is moving at a snail’s pace and has overshot the deadline by almost a year now. This has happened even though Ernakulam MLA Hibi Eden, who extended Rs 2 crore from his MLA fund for the project, demanded blacklisting of the contractor.

“The stone-laying function was held on September 26, 2014 and the work was scheduled to be completed in June 2015. The contractor should be blacklisted or given a short deadline since restarting the process all over again is a time-consuming process,” Hibi Eden said. When contacted, KSRTC Managing Director Antony Chacko said that currently work on the garage was progressing and added that the contractor would be asked to complete the remaining works in two months.

“We will start bus operations from the new bus bay and also shift the administrative office in a few months. Strict directions have been given to the contractor to hasten the work,” he said. The new terminal has been planned on 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.

Once the new terminal is built, the KSRTC plans to make entry and exit of buses to the depot through a new path circumnavigating the Ambedkar stadium. Currently the building at Ernakulam depot has deteriorated so much that the waste water flows into the waiting arena. Rain water too seeps in from different parts as basic amenities are poor. “Once they complete the bus bay, I will allocate more funds for the commercial complex building,” Hibi said.