Five months on, Kalamassery bus terminal awaits services
Inaugurated with pomp and show last December, the new bus terminal of Kalamassery municipality has been awaiting bus services for the past five months. The terminal was inaugurated by Minister for Local Administration K T Jaleel on December 24, much to the relief of the residents of Kalamassery and the employees working at HMT, Startup Village, Science City, NUALS and XIME, who thought it will ease their travel woes.
Besides, the bus terminal was expected to bring solace to hundreds of patients visiting Ernakulam Medical College Hospital and the Cochin Cancer Research Centre. However, the commuters are disgruntled as not a single service was operated from bus terminal since its inauguration. The delay in operating bus services from the new terminal has become a major embarrassment for the Kalamassery municipality as it has become the butt of endless ridicule.
According to the municipal authorities, it was the delay in obtaining sanction from various departments that posed hurdles to starting bus services from the new terminal. There was no proper water connection and the municipality had to provide basic infrastructure facilities. The Regional Transport Office (RTO) had to issue its consent for operating services from the new terminal. Besides, the KSRTC had to sanction a station master office at the bus terminal.
“We are trying to remove the bottlenecks. The water connection has been established and we have provided an office for the KSRTC station master. The municipality has received a letter from the RTO to convene a meeting of the people’s representatives, including MLA, on operating bus service from the terminal. Steps will also be taken to float tender for the shops soon. We are communicating with the KSRTC on operating bus services from the terminal. I am confident the new terminal will become operational soon,” Municipal chairperson Jessy Peter told Express.
Though the government and the municipality have provided facilities for operating bus services from the terminal, the private bus owners are not feeling excited about the facility. According to bus operators, the frequency of bus services from the new terminal will depend on the increase in passenger arrival. There has not been any improvement in the arrival of patients at the Ernakulam Medical College Hospital and Cochin Cancer Research Centre.
The private bus owners expressed concerns that operation of services from the new terminal will not be viable. “We will make sure all buses passing through Kalamassery area enter the new terminal,” said Jessy Peter. She said the municipal authorities will hold talks with bus operators to introduce new bus services from the terminal. “I strongly believe the bus terminal will ease the travel woes of the commuters and make the medical college and cancer centre more accessible for the patients with the support from the government, public and bus owners,” she said.
