MARGAO
Even as the government celebrated yet another anniversary of the Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) on Dussehra day, Madgavkars, in particular, and Saxttikars, in general, have nothing to cheer about.
It has been nine long years since a foundation stone was laid by the Congress government headed by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat on Dussehra Day on October 6, 2011, to build an ultra-modern transport hub at the Margao KTC bus stand with a promise to rid the problems of the traveling commuters.
While the government has today promised to deploy a fleet of electric-powered buses in the coming days, the promised ultra-modern transport hub is yet to become a reality.
That’s not all. The BJP-led government that came to power in 2017 under the leadership of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar with the support of Goa Forward Party had promised two years to make the bus stand a reality, but in vain.
Goa Forward leader, MLA Vijai Sardesai had even announced that the bus stand will now be named as Fatorda Margao Bus Terminus (FMBT), but the project has remained only on paper.
Incumbent Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had promised to take the Margao bus stand project forward, but the ground reality has not changed for the better to date.
When then Chief Minister Digambar Kamat had laid the foundation stone for the ultra-modern transport hub on October 6, 2011, just months before the Assembly elections, he had asserted that funds will not come in the way of the bus stand construction, promising to complete the project in phases.
He had further promised to tender the project within six months, estimated to cost around Rs 200 crore, but the change in guard left the project confined to the papers for five years between 2011-17.
Questions are being raised in many quarters whether the development of the KTC bus stand into a modern bus stand has gone haywire with successive governments eyeing the prime land with plans to rope in private players under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) to build the bus stand.
While the 2011 project had planned to develop the KTC bus stand space with massive buildings and commercial malls, the 2017-18 plan was no different, with the project planning more for the commercial buildings, shopping malls and less for the bus stand.
In fact, a former south collector had questioned the bus stand plan mooted around 2018, demanding to know whether it will take care of the future traffic requirements or aimed at developing the prime space.
Incidentally, Commuters and citizens have time and again demanding that they will be content if a modest and decent bus stand is put in place at the existing stand, which presently functions from a shed put in place in the mid-80s.
