The Kerala Public Works Department has awarded the tender for a new KSRTC bus terminal at Karikkamuri in Kochi to Sidco, a state government agency, with preliminary work expected to begin within a month. The Rs 9 crore project is scheduled for completion in 18 months, although the contractor agreement is still awaiting the government’s final clearance for the revised financial estimate.
The terminal will be built on 2.9 acres at Karikkamuri, where the existing KSRTC bus station has been operating in a dilapidated condition. Passengers have faced poor washrooms, inadequate resting facilities and unhygienic premises at the facility. KSRTC completed renovation work at the existing station in March, but several operational and passenger-related problems have continued.
A PWD official said the technical bid had been cleared, while the final clearance for the financial bid was still pending. The agreement between the PWD and Sidco can be signed after the revised estimate receives the government’s final approval. Preliminary works are expected to start once these procedural steps are completed.
The project’s scope has been reduced substantially because of funding constraints. The initial estimated cost was Rs 27 crore, but the government asked KSRTC to reduce the proposal. The plan for a two-storey terminal was subsequently dropped, and the number of bus bays was reduced from 33 to 22. The current project cost is estimated at Rs 9 crore.
The revised terminal is planned to include parking areas, offices, public toilets and air-conditioned passenger waiting areas. Bus bays will be built using steel fabrication, and the facility will also have an independent administrative block. The terminal is intended to accommodate both KSRTC and private buses, giving it a wider role in Kochi’s bus network.
The project received administrative sanction from the government in February, but obtaining technical sanction took almost six months, according to the report. The delay has prolonged uncertainty around the replacement of the existing facility and illustrates the gap that can emerge between administrative approval and the start of construction on public infrastructure projects.
MLA T J Vinod said the new terminal would be developed as a major transportation hub in central Kerala. The immediate implementation milestones are the final approval of the revised financial estimate, signing of the agreement with Sidco and commencement of preliminary works. The scheduled construction period after the work begins is 18 months.
