Work on the new Kadamba bus stand at Mapusa will begin soon. This state-of-the-art project is unique in India. It has been designed on the lines of international bus stands and will have a multi-use facility.
The Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation will construct it at a cost of Rs 15 crore on 20,680 sq mts acre of land. This land, which has already been acquired, has a provision for 58 bus bays and 36 idle bays. The main terminal will consist of three floors, besides the ground level. The first floor will house the Road Transport office and around 20 shops. Of these 20 shops, eight will be allotted to transport companies. This floor will also house the reservation counters of Kadamba Transport Corporation, Karnataka Transport Corporation, and Maharashtra Rajya Parivahan Mandal. The second and third floors will be used for RTO offices and more shops.
The existing Kadamba bus stand will be converted into a multi-level parking lot. It will contain five floors, and each floor will be designed to house 100 cars. Counting the ground floor, the parking lot’s capacity stands at 600 cars. The building will also contain shops and offices. The total parking capacity of both complexes stands at 1050 two-wheelers and 850 cars.
The leveling of fields beside the old bus stand has already started. It is expected to be completed by May 30, at an estimated cost of Rs 1.3 crore.
Municipal Engineer Hussain Muzawar stated that the new bus stand had been designed by Rahul Deshpande and associates based on inputs given by Kadamba Transport Corporation. He stated, “The intra-city and intra-state entry for commuters will be on the ground floor, while inter-state will be housed on the first floor. All the provisions such as toilets, canteen, shopping, etc for the busy traveler and daily commuters have been made. The entire bus stand will be disabled-friendly.”
He continued, “A separate road of width 30 metres from Morod will be developed, and this road will be connected to the main road passing through Bastora. Buses arriving from Valpoi, Sanquelim, Bicholim, Pernem, and Siolim will enter the new bus stand through this new road and buses for the said destination will leave from this road only. These buses will not be allowed to enter Mapusa town.”
Dy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza stated that construction of the new bus stand would commence after the monsoon and after completing all legal formalities. He said, “Once the project of the new Kadamba bus stand is completed and the existing KTC bus stand is converted into parking area, the congestion of traffic as also parking problem of Mapusa will be reduced substantially.”
Traffic Inspector Roy Pereira stated that parking provisions had not been made for private inter-state buses at the new bus stand. He said, “Daily, around 50 buses leave from Mapusa for various destinations. These buses mainly create parking problems in the town, especially in the evening. This problem also needs to be tackled.”
