The work of the new Kadamba bus stand at Mapusa is currently underway. The levelling of the fields beside the existing bus stand has already been completed.
The new bus stand, costing around Rs 15 crore, is being constructed by the Directorate of Transport through the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC), for which 20,680 square meters of land has been acquired.
The first phase, which includes filling up the acquired land as it is low-lying and constructing a retaining wall around it, is estimated to cost Rs 1.32 crore.
Phase 2 is the construction of a 25-metre-wide road on the southern side of the new bus stand. The road will join the National Highway-17 around 200 metres before the Mapusa-Bastora junction.
Phase 3 includes the construction of the bus stand and also converting the existing KTC bus stand into a parking lot for 600 cars. Half of this bus stand will be an open parking lot and the other half will have a multi-level (ground plus two) lot.
This new, state-of-the-art bus stand is unique in India; it has been designed on the lines of international bus stands and will have a multi-use facility.
The acquired land 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. Out of these 20 shops, 8 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 thirds floors will be used for RTO offices and more shops.
Meanwhile, the existing Kadamba bus stand will be converted into open and multi-level parking lots. The latter will contain ground-plus-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 the old and new KTC complexes stands at 1,050 two-wheelers and 850 cars.
North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA) Chairman Michael Lobo has informed that the NGPDA had approved the project in a meeting recently.
Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza has stated that construction of the bus stand will start as soon as the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) grants a construction license to the GSIDC. He added, “Once the new Kadamba bus stand is completed, traffic congestion and the parking problems of Mapusa will be reduced substantially.”
Mapusa Traffic Inspector Roy Pereira stated that he is not aware if parking provisions have been made for private inter-state buses at the new bus stand. He said, “Daily, around 50 buses are leaving from Mapusa for various destinations. These buses create parking problems in the town, especially in the evening. This problem also needs to be tackled.”
MMC Chairperson Sandeep Falari stated that the MMC has still not received the project proposal for approval. He added, “The new bus stand is a need of the hour as the present bus stand has outlived its carrying capacity.”
