Hyderabad: After the historic hangar that served as the Central Bus Station (CBS) at Afzalgunj collapsed in July last year, Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) officials have finalised a plan to use the site to create a revenue stream.
The RTC will establish mini-theatres and commercial complexes in the place. The site is being cleared of the roof and other debris. Being deep in the red, the RTC is in desperate search of new avenues to earn money.
The space being close to the MGBS Metro Rail station, the officials are planning to convert the site into a terminal to serve as the main connect to people going to rural areas and long distance destinations.
The RTC has finalised the plan to construct a complex vertically and allot the ground floor for bus operations. The first floor will be given for parking of vehicles and the second floor will be allotted for office activities and commercial complexes such as shopping malls.
Things, however, are expected to move slowly in view of the election code of conduct being in place for several months ahead. The state will first witness elections to the Legislative Council from the graduates and teachers constituencies, for which the code is in place. By the time the process is complete, the general elections would have been notified, and the code of conduct would last till mid-May.
It's only after that that tender process for the works would begin. It would take about two years to complete, said an RTC official.
The CBS complex has about 3.5 acres of land, the space used to operate more than 2,000 buses a day for more than 88 years.
Officials are not planning to make much use of the heritage background of the structure. They were disappointed by the poor response of the auction for the collapsed hangar the last time round. Apart from this, the officials are planning to explore other vacant locations owned by the corporation such as near Bus Bhavan and the Jubilee Bus Station which could be put to commercial use.
