Kerala - Kochi   

VS opens shopping complex at bus station

KOCHI: Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan laid the foundation stone for a shopping complex to be set up on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis at Angamali bus station here on Monday.

In his inaugural address, Mr. Achuthanandan said that more such shopping complexes would be established in bus stations in the State.

He said that the government had already taken steps to turn the Kerala State Transport Corporation in to a profit-making body.

The corporation was able to save at least Rs. 2 lakh per bus by implementing the open tender policy in the purchase of buses in the Sate.Transport Minister Mathew T. Thomas presided over the meeting. He said that the Kerala Transport Development and Finance Corporation (KTDFC) will take up construction of bus station-cum-shopping complexes at a number of cities and towns in the State for the KSRTC.

He said that six locations had been approved for construction of the complexes in the first phase. They were Angamali, Thiruvananthapuram Central Station, Thiruvananthapuram City, Peroorkkada, Kozhikode and Malappuram.

The projects would be executed on BOT basis by the Finance Corporation.

However, revenues would be shared equally between the corporations from the first year. This would help the KSRTC to come out of the red.

The complex would be multi-storied buildings with facilities for parking buses and private vehicles, waiting rooms, toilets, shopping malls and other facilities. The Angamali complex would be commissioned in 24 months. Revenue Minister K. P. Rajendran, Public Works Minister Mons Joseph, Water Resources Minister N. K. Premachandran, and Registration Minister S. Sarma attended the inaugural function held at Angamali.

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