Karnataka has proposed building 1,000 rural bus shelters in villages with high passenger movement, using the VBG Ramji rural employment scheme to combine public transport infrastructure with wage employment for unskilled workers.
Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwar B Khandre has directed the department secretary and the VBG Ramji commissioner to prepare a detailed proposal for the project. Officials have been asked to identify 1,000 villages within gram panchayat limits that record higher passenger arrivals and departures.
The proposed shelters will be designed to reflect the rural character of their locations and highlight local heritage, according to the instructions issued by the minister. The proposal must include estimates for the cost of construction materials and the labour costs to be met through VBG Ramji. Officials have been given 15 days to submit the proposal.
The direction follows information that several villages in Karnataka have access to Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation buses but lack shelters at bus stopping points. As a result, passengers are often required to wait in the open in hot weather and rain. Some existing shelters are also reportedly in a dilapidated condition and could be at risk of collapse.
Karnataka has 5,927 gram panchayats, and the proposal is intended to address gaps in basic passenger infrastructure within rural local government areas. The number of villages that will finally be selected, the design standards for the shelters and the total project cost will be established through the proposal requested by the department.
The VBG Ramji scheme allows for the construction of new bus shelters as well as the maintenance of older shelters, according to the minister’s direction. The department has therefore been asked to prepare a comprehensive plan covering both new construction and repair works, while also creating employment for unskilled workers through the scheme.
The next formal step is the submission of the proposal within 15 days by the concerned department officials and the VBG Ramji commissioner. The proposal is expected to set out the locations, designs, material requirements, labour costs and maintenance component for the 1,000 proposed rural bus shelters.
