NESHWIN ALMEIDA
neshwin@herald-goa.com
Last week Herald took you through the apathy of the current inter-state bus stand, which is a make-shift bus stand for buses plying to Shirdi, Valankanni, Mangalore, Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai and Hyderabad. But this week the town may just get a ray of home, especially travellers from Xaxti, leave alone tourists who frequent this bus stand.
“The Chief Minister’s Office made certain suggestions and we have seen a presentation of a contractor’s suggestion and have just started the deliberations to look at different avenues and possible designs for the inter-state bus stand,” explains Nolan Antao from the TCP Minister’s and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai’s office.
Nolan says the current New Collectorate building is being maintained but at the cost of the government while there is a lot of unutilised space within that structure.
“The mandate given to us by Vijai Sardesai is to come up with a design and a structure that’s self-sustainable, that can be maintained through its own funding from café’s offices, and other facilities while we have to be considerate that there is a lot of heritage in the vicinity and hence the structure and building can’t be futuristic which bridges and walkways zig-zagging, but needs to have Goan ethos and design in it,” stated Nolan.
Similarly speaking to Herald on the same issue, he reminds that the proposal for an inter-state bus stand at the current location, i.e. behind the existing KTC intercity bus stand exists and there has even been a foundation stone laid for the same in 2011 by the Digambar Kamat government as an election gimmick with no funding and planning for the same.
“It can’t be a White Elephant, also amenities of sitting, waiting rooms, lodging, dining, café, restaurants, work spaces, Internet connectivity, shower rooms and toilets need to be provided while there can office towers and other commercial spaces in the same complex while the space for bus parking, bus washing, proper sewage disposal, all these need answers before finalising a design and then execution with proper funding. We have brought almost Rs 250 crores of funding into Fatorda and work is in progress or completion in many spheres but my next focus will definitely be the interstate bus stand,” stated Vijai Sardesai.
Vijai does admit though that the current facility does have issues of security, sewage disposal, garbage management and even domestic tourists not maintaining the existing facility in a proper manner.
“We have intensified our policing and after 8 pm when most buses have dispersed from there and the many ticketing agents have also cleared from there, in the darkness, it is a disserted area that would be a hangout for people drinking and other anti-social elements but we drive through the night there at least three or four times and been successful to keep these elements away,” stated current Fatorda Police PI, Navlesh Dessai.
Civil engineer Gurudas Naik from the KTCL says that his government department only operates from this facility provided to them by the Transport department and hence KTCL has very little say in terms of creating infrastructure on the current facility while their focus is to only manage their bus routes and maintain the existing facility.
“We manage the existing leases of shops and structures, basic maintenance while we have provided space to a sulabh facility to look into toilet facilities but besides that there’s not much we can do. Directives for a new bus stand facility have to come from the Transport Department and GSIDC,” stated the Civil engineer.
Commuters, who struggle with their baggage, and waiting time if a bus is delayed from Panjim or Canacona, hope to have facilities, including basic drinking water at the current location and also hope the government finds a long-term solution to these issues.
