Kochi: The Rs 290-crore modern bus transit terminal project near Trippunithura railway station, mooted nearly a decade back, has got a new lease of life. The Trippunithura Municipality has decided to bankroll a major part of the project cost after the land owners agreed to part with their lands for compensation fixed by the government. “The municipality took up the project for discussion and decided to implement it. We will meet a major portion of the project cost and raise the remaining through options like Public-Private partnership. We have written to the district collector to consider it and forward it for the state government’s nod,” said Municipal Chairperson Chandrika Devi. Over 12 acres of land was needed and 20 land owners have given consent to part with their land.
“The terminal is a necessity given that the town is heavily congested. The buses can skip the narrow town roads once the mini-hub is set up,” she said. The previous UDF council had allotted '50 crore in the municipal budget to realise the project. But then it was forced to drop it after efforts for a PPP (Public-Private-Patnership) mode received lukewarm response.
Meanwhile, the residents have demanded that the proposed metro extension to SN Junction from Pettah should be made upto the vacant land owned by the SAIL (Steel Authority of India Ltd) near the Trippunithura railway station. The project upon its realisation is also expected to offer passengers an inter-mode transportation facility. “Now most of the main trains stop at the station. The metro too is expected to have its terminal station at nearby SAIL land in future,” said V. C. Jayendran, Secretary, Tripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents' Associations.
