Goa Forward Party (GFP) president and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai has demanded that the government immedi ately halt the tendering process for the proposed South Goa Bus Stand re development, claiming it has been pushed through under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model that prioritises commer cial interests over public transport. The ₹2,051-crore pro ject, issued through a De sign-Build-Finance-Op erate-Transfer (DBFOT) tender, seeks to redevelop the Kadamba Bus Stand at Fatorda into a transport hub with a 30,000 sqm commercial building.
While the commercial complex will be leased for 70 years, the bus terminal opera tions are restricted to a 25 year concession. Sardesai argued that this imbalance exposes the project’s real intention. “Fatordekars deserve a modern, accessible bus stand, not an opaquely structured project favour ing malls over mobility,” he said, insisting that the State had failed to keep its word on transparency. Chief Min ister Pramod Sawant had assured on July 28 that the project would proceed only after consultations with stakeholders, but Sardesai pointed out that no such engagement had taken place to date. The Fatorda MLA also flagged capacity concerns.
The existing stand handles 150 buses daily, but should be expanded to accommo date at least 250 to meet future demand. Instead, he said, the financial model appears skewed, with an nual financial eligibility re portedly set at just ₹62.83 crore against a total pro ject estimate of more than ₹2,051 crore.
He added that the technical eligibil ity seems to favour mall developers rather than transport infrastructure specialists. “The tender must be stopped immediately and all stakeholders – driver associations, transport unions, Kadamba Trans port Corporation repre sentatives and local citi zens – must be involved, as promised by the Chief Minister and Trans port Minister,” Sardesai demanded