Koramangala bus terminal of little use to commuters

The Koramangala Traffic and Transit Management Centre (TTMC) was inaugurated at least a year ago, but is yet to be opened to the public. Touted as the biggest TTMC with eight floors for over a year now, it wears a deserted look.

On any given day, a visit to the TTMC will see bikes parked on the platforms, leaking pipes in the toilets, lifts with doors that do not close and peeling, leaking walls at the parking. What perhaps surprises the most is the fact that just outside the complex there are people waiting for a bus. While most TTMCs in the city are serving as a costly bus shelter, the Koramangala one does not serve even that purpose.

What’s worse is the fact that thanks to the TTMC, buses do not have any space to be parked. Muralidhar Rao of Praja RAAG explains, “Ever since the TTMC came up, along the roads near the National Games Village and nearby areas, buses are parked on the road. Earlier they were parked in the area where the TTMC has come up now.”

According to MP Prabhudas, Chief Traffic Manager (Operations), “Buses cannot negotiate the curve into the TTMC, when they exit from the left side as the passage is too narrow. As such, buses have to exit from the right and come face to face with buses entering the TTMC, which causes traffic jams and so on.”

Nevertheless, he adds that, “Construction of the TTMC comes under the jurisdiction of Chief Traffic Manager (Commercial).”

When asked if the aspect of buses entering the TTMC was not looked into at the time of designing it, Veeregowda GN, Chief Traffic Manager (Commercial), responded that the design of the TTMC was conceived at least two years ago, but adds that the commercial aspects of the TTMC is going on well enough.

KR Srinivasa, Managing Director, BMTC, said that, “Infrastructure work on the BMTC is still going on. It should be completed in the next ten to fifteen days.”

According to Muralidhar Rao, the TTMC is a classic example of the lack of planning in design, architecture or location. The whole point of a TTMC is to provide a transit centre where people can board both intra and inter state buses. It is a point of exchange.

But in the case of TTMCs in the city, such as Kormangala, even buses within the city or even going along the routes near Koramangala do not use it!” he said.