ARPITA SRIVASTAVA | NT
MAPUSA: The Mapusa bus stand project, which has been hanging fire for the last several years, has taken a turn for the better as the directorate of transport has approached the Mapusa municipal council submitting files for obtaining construction licence for the project.
The project on building a new bus stand and a parking facility had been planned long time ago for the city in Bardez taluka to reduce traffic woes.
Sangam Construction, a firm based at Tisk-Ponda, began spadework in February 2015 for the bus stand and parking facility. Filling of low-lying area was undertaken at an estimated cost of Rs 1.32 crore for the total area of 23,000 sq.mt of land. However, thereafter there has been no activity at the acquired land, which has now been used by interstate bus operators.
On November 20, 2017, the Mapusa municipality had resolved to convert the zone of the proposed bus stand site from transport zone to ‘C1’ so as to have 200 per cent FAR, 40 per cent coverage and 20-metre height for the bus stand complex.
The proposal was forwarded to the North Goa Planning Development Authority which gave its approval to the move.
The project plan, which had been prepared by Rahul Deshpande and Associates, has been revised.
The revised plan envisages a bus stand, an office of the directorate of transport and a multilevel parking facility.
MMC chairperson Rohan Kavlekar said the government will soon start the ball rolling for the project as the council has received files, seeking construction licence.
“The KTC bus stand project will be constructed through state government funding at the cost of around Rs 2.53 crore. The complex will house a bus stand, an office of the road transport department and a parking facility,” Kavlekar said.
The project will be taken up in phases: work for the bus stand will be undertaken in the first phase. Thereafter work on multilevel pay parking facility will be taken up. The government has plans to take up the project under public-private partnership basis.