The Uttar Pradesh Government has plans to develop bus stations in prominent cities into multi-storey shopping complex where the buses will operate from ground floor while passengers can enjoy mall-like facility while waiting for the bus.
Transport Minister Swatantra Deo Singh said that government is committed to give bus stations a swanky look. To start with this facility will be made available in 18 cities. We want to see passengers’ response. Once the idea clicks we will expand it to other cities too, he said.
This scheme is part of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s vision where he wants to give better facilities to the commuters. “The passengers are paying for the bus fare and deserve better facilities while waiting for the buses. The plan is that existing bus stations will be made multi-storied building. The ground floor will act as normal bus stand while we will have malls or shopping complex in upper stories. We can even have rest houses in select places,” he said.
The operation will work under the PPP model and is in tune with the new industrial policy of the state government. Private investors are being roped in to give their ideas about the proposal and we have got very good response, he said. “Work on these stations will start soon,” he said.
The cities where these projects are proposed are : Kaushambhi (Ghaziabad), Jhakarkatti (Kanpur central), Cantonment (Varanasi), Civil Lines (Allahabad), Vibhuti Khand, Gomti Nagar (Lucknow), Satellite (Bareilly), Sohrab gate (Meerut), Transport Nagar (Agra), Idgah (Agra), Agra Fort, Rasoolabad (Aligarh), Mathura Old, Bulandshahar, Ghaziabad, Rae Bareili, Faizabad, Gorakhpur and Bhaisali (Meerut).
The minister said that majority of these bus stations are out of city limit. This will also help in improve the ambient quality of city’s air and nose level. These fully operational bus stations will also generate employment which is the buzz word of Chief Minister, he said.