The Hindu 20.04.2013
Tripunithura municipality for PPP model to develop bus terminal
Tripunithura municipality is seeking the private-public
partnership (PPP) route to develop the long-standing proposal of a bus
terminal near the railway station.
A clearance from
the Railways is awaited to send out the proposal for investor
participation, said R. Venugopal, Chairman of the Municipal Council. Any
project within 50 metres of a railway station requires high-level
sanction.
The council has, in general, agreed to the
proposal and is waiting for the sanction to put it up as a project
report. The project planned on 12 acres and 60 cents envisages land
acquisition in the area lying next to the railway station, which is a
bunch of private holdings scattered among 18 individuals. The land cost
alone would be over Rs.60 crore, said Mr. Venugopal.
The
project requires five acres to develop roads to and from the terminal
and seven acres to develop the terminal area. Another 60 cents of land
would be required to rehabilitate 13 households, he said.
“The
government is offering no assistance in land acquisition as it is one
of the most time-consuming and difficult tasks. It cannot be put up as a
project in the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission because
the mission does not fund land acquisition,” said Mr. Venugopal.