Gujaratstartups, AHMEDABAD: Chief minister Narendra Modi may live in one of the most sanitised environments in Gandhinagar. But as a youngster, he had spent some time managing the front office a small, dingy canteen for his brother at the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) depot at Gita Mandir in Ahmedabad. While serving cups of tea to harried passengers, he must have seen how travellers had to tread over a minefield of muck and unbearable stench to catch their bus.

Not much has changed since those days, but expect a total transformation in the next two years as six GSRTC depots give you the feel of a mall. India’s third largest realty firm Ackruti City Limited (ACL) will develop six international standard bus terminals as part a public-private partnership (PPP) project with the Gujarat government.

ACL has already hired two Singapore-based architecture firms —Woods Bagot and Space Matrix — to design the terminals with the latest public amenities. The Rs 300 crore project includes existing bus stations in Ahmedabad (Gita Mandir) and Vadodara. Another four new locations will be developed in Ahmdedabad (near Subhash bridge), Surat (Adajan), Vadodara (Makarpura) and Mahesana.

The new designs promise the atmosphere of an airport. Just that you will catch a bus to go to your destination, not an aircraft! Of the 2.30 lakh sq mt land earmarked for the project, ACL will use 70 per cent for bus terminals, including circulation area for buses and public amenities. The developer will construct commercial spaces on the remaining space, ACL sources told TOI.

“Though GSRTC will own the swanky properties, ACL will maintain and operate them for 30 years. The developer will also be allowed to lease out the commercial spaces for 90 years,” said a company official. The amenities will include two-level basement parking spaces, hygienic restrooms, waiting areas, ticketing counters, tourist information centres, ramps, and toilets for handicapped persons. Besides, pedestrian areas and bus areas have been kept separate in the design to avoid accidents.

Pick-up and drop-off points with basic facilities like digital display boards, path-finder signages and public address systems will also come up.

Given that we live in the age of terrorism and the fact that bus depots have a extremely high concentration of travellers during peak hours, security has been given extra attention in the project. Apart from erecting special barriers, the new depots will have CCTV camera and screening of passengers. Baggage screening at the time of departure, similar to those at airports, has also been envisaged. One can only hope that GSRTC gets rid of many of its rickety, ramshackle tin boxes called buses by the time these airport-like terminals are ready!

Source: Times Of India