MEGA PROJECT AT WADALA
Finally,decks cleared for Rs 350cr bus terminal ………Ashley DMello
Finally,decks cleared for Rs 350cr bus terminal ………Ashley DMello
Mumbai: After being stalled for several years,the Rs 350 crore project for a modern Inter State Bus Terminal at Wadala is finally getting off the ground.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Agency (MMRDA) has set May 21 as the deadline for bidders to submit their proposals for the project.
Slated to come up on a 4.5 hectare plot next to Wadala Truck Terminus,the project will have modern passenger platforms,food courts,cinema halls,department stores,rest rooms,a budget hotel and recreation centres.
The project will be undertaken on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis in which the terminal will be leased out to the bidding company for a period of 25 years.The company will design,build,finance and operate the terminal and commercial activities on the premises.
MMRDA officials attribute the delay of the project on the fact that it was initially planned as one project along with the iconic towers but was later divided into two.
The company that wins the bid will construct mechanical workshops,vehicle washing facilities and rest rooms for transport operators,apart from providing a systematic bus parking facility.We are aiming at putting up the structure and starting operations by the end of 2013, they said.
The terminal will have integrated facilities for BEST,taxis,autorickshaws and twowheeler parking.A monorail station is also planned to provide direct connectivity to the terminal.
After the terminal becomes functional,buses that park on the streets now will have a place to park and operate.This will clear up some areas in the city, said MMRDA officials.