Satellite Bus Terminus for Andhra bound buses to be completed by March

C Shivakumar @ Chennai:

The under-construction satellite bus terminus in Madhavaram, which will accommodate commuters going to neighbouring Andhra and other northern regions, is likely to be ready by next month as more than 80pc of work has been completed, according to a top official.

Built in eight acres of land at a cost of Rs 95 crore, the project, which had faced feasibility issues and was stalled initially due to heavy truck movement, will provide much needed relief to commuters going to neighbouring Andhra once it is inaugurated most possibly in the first week of April.

“Travelling from Koyambedu to Madhavaram takes more than 90 minutes and from here to Tirupati another two hours. With the new bus terminus being put into operation it will take only two hours,” says a traffic policeman who just returned from the temple in Tirupati.

The bus terminus, which had its share of controversies, has the main building almost ready. The finishing works are going on, said an official of BNR Infrastructure, which is constructing the project. Apart from it, the roads were yet to be laid linking the bus terminus with the approach road passing from the Madhavaram Truck terminal.

One of the issues that is affecting the completion of work is the basement which has been leaking every now and then. An official from the construction firm on the site told Express that since the land is low lying area, they have been facing this problem and hope to resolve it soon. However, it is learnt that the leak is attributed to starting the work without taking any precaution on water proofing measures.

The cost for constructing the bus terminus was worked out at Rs 32 crore in 2011 but the cost has gone up three times. “Overall there will be 50 parking lots for buses as well as 40 idle parking lots. Going by the cost it would mean each parking lot will cost nearly Rs one crore,” said sources.

Initially, the first feasibility report for the project was unfavourable as it stated that the bus terminus will lead to congestion of the Inner Ring Road. And this will be one of the biggest challenge the new bus terminus will face. The busy Inner Ring Road Road has been bustling with heavy vehicle traffic on the Madhavaram Road and with both bus terminus and truck terminal at the same site it is likely to congest the roads. While the entry exit points have been identified, the approach road will pass through the truck terminal. Interestingly, no work has been started to widen the road. “We will be taking up the work soon,” said the officials at the site.

Project timeline:

1.  The project was announced in the assembly in 2011.

 
2.  The project was shelved as feasibility report said that the project on eight acres of land is not feasible as there would be lot of movement of truck which could result in congestion.

3.  The bus terminus project was revived 2016 and a feasibility report was prepared again.

4.  Planning permission for the project sought by CMDA on November 2016.

5.  The cost of the project escalated to Rs 80 crore.

6. Questions raised over the proposed plan.

7. The project was awarded to BNR Infrastructure at a cost of Rs 94 crore last year.

 

8. CMDA seeks exemption of OSR land for truck terminal to shift heavy vehicle parking yard of truck terminal to make it accessible for buses entering the bus terminus.

9. 80pc of work has been completed but basement floor is leaking

10. Project likely to be completed by March and it is believed it will be inaugurated on first week of April