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RTC gears up to rehaul city services
Posted by Srini Uppala | February 24, 2008 | 651 views
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Loading ...The city is all set to get state-of-the-art transport facilities. Commuter Amenity Centres (CACs), bus terminals, inter-modal transit centres (IMTCs) and bus shelters will come up at various points in the city.
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has been sanctioned a fund of Rs 3,500 crore for the pilot project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
The CACs will have ATMs, kiosks to pay utility bills, bus pass counters, pharmacy and trauma care centres, passenger information system, food courts, passenger transfer points, shopping malls along with parking facilities. “With all amenities under one roof, people can complete all their tasks at one place. In fact, such a facility would reduce congestion on roads and reduce vehicular pollution,” APSRTC vice-chairman and managing director V Dinesh Reddy said at a press conference here on Saturday.
Existing RTC depots as well as RTC land would be used for the project. At certain places where the Corporation has no land of its own, it would acquire it, he added. Under Phase I, seven CACs would come up at Musheerabad, Hayathnagar, Shamshabad, Bandlaguda, Turkayamzal, Mehdipatnam and Kukatpally. Four bus terminals, each on approximately five to ten acres of land, would also be set up at Farooqnagar, Patancheru, ECIL crossroads and Koti at a cost of Rs 162.13 crores.
While 35 per cent of the total cost would be borne by the central government, the state government would chip in with 15 per cent and APSRTC would take care of the rest 50 per cent.
The project is to be taken up on public-private partnership basis. The centres will be given on lease to private developers on a 33-year lease after which its ownership will be transferred to APSRTC. According to authorities, the first phase will be completed in the next 18 months. The complete project, in which construction of 41 CACs, 71 bus terminals/transfer points, 66 IMTCs, 700 bus shelters, and induction of 2,684 new buses, would be completed by 2011 at a cost of Rs 3,547.94 crores. Earlier, the central government had selected nine cities for urban infrastructure development through transport corporations. As public transport in Hyderabad is largely in the hands of APSRTC, the JNNURM funds will flow into its coffers to improve transport infrastructure.
Also, through the World Bank-funded Global Environment Facility-Sustainable Urban Transport Project (GEF-SUTP), the APSRTC would get Rs 108.43 crores for development of the Patancheru-Dilsukhnagar corridor.
As part of the development plan, eco-friendly hitech buses -40 Volvo, 88 semi-low floor and vestibule, CNG buses with Euro-IV engines- would be plying on the 41-kilometre corridor. Also, Patancheru would get a depot, while Dilsukhnagar a CAC. Along the route, 34 bus shelters would be developed. Global positioning system, passenger information boards, electronic destination boards and ancillary infrastructure would also be set up for the corridor.
When asked whether there would be a hike in bus fares due to increase in petrol and diesel prices, Reddy said nothing was being planned for the time being. “The RTC will have to bear a burden of Rs 45 crores due to hike in fuel prices,” he added.
SOURCES:
Times of India
Topics: Govt In Action, Infrastructure |
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