Seeking answers

The KSRTC bus station at Majestic will soon be temporarily shifted — for three years only — to make way for Namma Metro central station, says Transport Minister R Ashok on Day 1. Not so soon, but in phases, he adds, on Day 2. Not BMTC anyway, he clarifies on Day 3. But is there a plan at all?

About four years ago, the government of the day announced a master plan to build a 45-floor wonder of the world: an Inter-Modal Transit Centre (IMTC) at Majestic. According to that plan, the existing Kempegowda bus station, comprising both city and interstate transport centres, were to be completely demolished for the Rs650-crore IMTC.

IMTC, as the nerve centre of city commute, would integrate KSRTC, BMTC and Namma Metro services, and the splendorous building would house malls, theatres and food courts, all this amidst great landscaping. The bulk of the transport action was meant to be underground. The great ambition was to provide access to every system of transport to all commuters coming in and going out of the city. Is that plan still on? Then, does the minister know what he is talking about, really? Read on.

The IMTC, announced in 2005, was to be constructed as a public-private partnership (PPP) venture, on a build-own-operate-transfer basis. The KSRTC management of the then-regime had other details on it:  a majority of the 2,700 KSRTC services were to be entirely moved out to the satellite terminal stations along the city outskirts (not makeshift). In fact, the then-managing director of the organisation was reported to have clearly put a number on it: not more than 1,000 trips from IMTC. The peripheral stations were to be linked by coach services.

It is not that the plan itself is bad. It does make sense if one has been subject to the horrendous traffic jams around Majestic and along the arterial roads leading to it, especially during the exodus on the eve of major holidays. Why should hundreds of buses and thousands of other vehicles that carry thousands of travellers to connect to these outstation buses crawl in and out of the city’s centre? The station already services close to a million BMTC commuters.

 The KSRTC management of the time addressed the question. It sought land from BDA on all major state and national highways to build the peripheral stations. It made plans on map to accommodate parking for 5,000 cars and 10,000 two-wheelers at IMTC. Even a helipad! And so was the existing 42-acre station, standing on the historic Dharmambudi tank, which once supplied to the city of Bangalore, to become one integrated transit complex framed in two magnificent twin towers, running six floors or so underground.

But is the minister talking of the same plan? What is the three-year shift? Why the lack of clarity, or if one may ask, the secrecy? Because it seems the government, which has more troubles from family and friends than its political foes, would like to work its commercial interests into full fait accompli before the activists mess up the plans with agitations, RTI applications and writ petitions. The planned IMTC, with big private participation, will be used to ‘leverage’ the commercial potential of Majestic.

When the minister talks of ‘makeshift bus stands’ at Balekai Mandi, Mysore Lamps or Shantinagar, he appears to be telling less than he knows. Makeshift? What about the proposed 10-acre bus station at NGEF on Old Madras Road? And the 5-acre one at Peenya?

Here is a detail mined (if the government will allow use of the word) from the archives: “…KSRTC will hand over 27 acres to BMRCL in three stages by KSRTC. After construction, the BMRCL will retain the 7 acres for the station, and return control of the rest to KSRTC. In exchange, BMRCL will give KSRTC 9.5 acres elsewhere in the city, 7.5 of which will be in Peenya.” The minister himself is quoted as saying: “…two depots will be shifted in the first phase in the next month. In the second phase, 1,100 buses will be shifted to other stations.” What will KSRTC precisely do with the reclaimed land?

The government and BMTC management have maintained through the confused communication that BMTC will continue its local schedules from the existing location. To ask a direct question: Is that a fact, Mr Minister? Have you not yourself suggested the possibility that BMTC may have to be demolished too? What is the new location for a million-passenger hub? My guess, sir, is Shantinagar, where too, this poor government needs to earn revenue by ‘leveraging’ commercial potential.

 We are told that bidders, including Larsen & Toubro, have given their proposals for IMTC. Will the government let us know who won, and share the details with the million affected stakeholders? Why can’t this government come clean on land, ever?