The Jayanagar TTMC was built with a swanky futuristic look but all what’s within is huge empty spaces and leaking walls and roofs. Almost close to completing a year now, all the promises are still on paper. Apart from the busy bus service in the basement, there’s been no progress within. A quick survey of the entire building reveals nothing more than empty spaces, unfinished structures and poor quality of construction. Even the flooring and electrical wiring have not been completed. The walls and beams have already given in to the recent rain. The unfinished wiring works on the first and second floors are now seen soaked.
At a time when there is serious shortage of parking space, this TTMC has a huge park and ride provision on the terrace with a capacity of nearly 110 cars. The original idea behind it was that people could drive in, park their cars/ two-wheelers and board their bus. But, with no lifts ready yet, people are forced to walk the entire ramp up and down to park and ride. According to locals here, weekdays hardly see even 10-15 cars parked here. Even on weekends, the numbers hardly touch 20.
Constructed at a cost of Rs 12.9 crore, this building was completed in July 2009 and declared open within a month. According to the plan, the TTMC was to house a multi-level parking lot, mini-shopping centres, food courts, BangaloreOne kiosks and ATMs among others.
NURM’s condition for the project is that these TTMCs must be a public space and not for commercial purposes. However, with no proper response from the RTO and the commercial tax offices yet to set up their counters here yet, little is known about the plight of the incomplete first and second floors at this TTMC.
Admits Jayanagar MLA B N Vijayakumar: “The main purpose is complete as of now. There could be some relief with a parking shelter above. Improper planning of space utilization here has a majority of the building still unused”.
There is a plan for at least 10 Traffic and Transport Management Centres (TTMCs) for the city, under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). But the very first TTMC built at Jayanagar 4th Block sees persistently leaking roofs and walls in less than a year.
For the full report in the TOI, click here
Here is a recent pictures of the massive Koramangala TTMC, under construction
And, the comparatively smaller Domlur TTMC
So, when the year-old Jayanagar TTMC has still to find takers for its huge empty spaces, what is going to be the fate of these newer ones?
The TTMCs would perhaps rank as the biggest misuse of JNNURM funds in the state, while simultaneously causing the biggest uglyfication of the city-scape. The chief architects - the minister, Mr R Ashoka, and the person who perhaps conceived this plan, the erstwhile BMTC, MD, Mr U Tripathy, both need special recognition.
Muralidhar Rao
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Comments
Misuse/wastage of resources
The wastage is observed in other ares too.
The K.R.Cicle was modified recently. As many as 7 Bus shelters were put up on the same side of the route and on either side of the K.R. Circle. No BMTC bus ever stops at any of these Bus Shelters.
The strange thing is an eighth Bus Shelter is also being built now in the same location.
Is no one accountable for such wastage which also results in blocking the free passge for pedestrians and creates visual polution?
K.V.Pathy
TTMC's as monolithic..
structures will be a failure for sure!
Without proper plan to manage traffic(specifically bus) from and into the TTMC's..these structures are sure heading for a disaster!
It scares me when I see the TTMC at KH road everyday..its huge and there are already bad jams in front of it, even before its completion!
Urgent re-planning is needed to make it easier to get in and get out of these TTMC's without causing any issues to the exisiting traffic!
About floor space usage...guess there is no dearth of govt office which can find space here!
Did some one say Koramangala complex will be brought down and remodelled? The office there(RTO and others) can be moved here..i think!
Btw the Koramangala TTMC building from the photo seems to be violating all possible building rules..including that of fire safety!
Wonder who approves all this!
TTMC's and all that
Murali sir caustic as usual :)
What is the extant of monies spent on these beautiful structures? An RTI should help methinks...
are these also to help the BMTC stay in the black or are they pushing it into the red?
regards
caustic, with reason
Zen avare'
The TOI report itself gives the cost of the Jayanagar TTMC as Rs 12.9 cr. Assuming same cost (at the minimum) for all the 10 TTMCs, the total works out to nearly Rs 130 cr. With almost nil recovery, they are certainly going to push the BMTC into a tight financial corner, apart from the burden of the losses on the VOLVO operations. While the jury is out on the efficacy of the VOLVO operations, there's absolutely no reparation whatsoever for the TTMCs, particularly considering the fact that they have been located based on the availability of land with the BMTC, and not the utilitarian aspects - check this (apart from many more). Well, how do you expect me not to be 'caustic'? I have been saying this from day1.
And further, the report says that "NURM’s condition for the project is that the TTMCs must be a public space and not for commercial purposes". So, so much space being generated to seat more babu's? On the other hand, I was hoping the government would eventually become leaner - check this
May be the enlarged BBMP council can meet in the Koramangala TTMC (looks large enough to house all of its functions), and all the councillors can be mandated to use the BMTC services.
BMTC turnover on a Busy day
BMTC discovered that with Rs 3.36 crs turnover on 3rd May it is really a cash cow. Just imagine the cash becomes white to black overnite turns white next morning. How much can be made on cash interest if the money can be badly rolled? Very good use of customer fares? shd we put an RTI on that 2?
If Biyanis can sell big bazaars other have also sold malls/ ttmc as a concept
that is why former MD went around trying to get GoK and BMP (now BBMP) to allocate huge lands to it. The builders lobby wanted to build, the retailers wanted cheap highstreet space and format malls were the answer. so if the space is not taken up Govt offices can move. BDAs - CA sites are anyway sold of so public and civic amenities can come up there. milk booth, mochi angadi, barber shop and those other amenities for a common person up close
the DPRs and the plans which were approved by JNNURM almost became a norm
like the new BMTC bus stop. brand new infrastructure on public land & space for a BIGGER BAZAAR culture. How long can the public ecosystem withstand such excesses?
TTMC - Rename to TTMWC!
TTMWC - "Traffic & Transport Mismanagement & Wastage Center" - this sounds more appropriate.
The TOI article was very revealing. It's still not too late to halt this senseless wastage of resources - yet another piece of evidence to corroborate the fact that depts work in silos.
Transport bodies will continue to work insulated from one another - BMTC will build TTMCs only where it has land, JNNURM will specify no commercialization (how will they earn back invested capital ?), BMRC will build Metro routes only where their survey points to, SWR will run CRS along where it's tracks & stations are, Monorail might also go the same way, with no networking between one another whatsoever
- All inconveniencing public in our typical Indian style whilst claiming to be responsding to "public needs". A visit to any other country in east Asia or even Africa shows how professionally they do it & how well appointed their public facilities are.
The CTTP report had quoted flwg about TTMCs :
TTMC’s are planned to have multi-level parking lot, public utilities like mini-shopping centres and food courts. These centers in addition to providing park & ride facilities are also proposed to act as hubs for Mini – Buses planned by BMTC to transport the commuters from every major residential area to the nearest TTMC, so that commuters can board a bus of their choice. BMTC has planned such TTMC’s at the following 45 locations. Of these TTMCs at Bannerghatta, Kengeri, Domlur, Yeshwantpur, Koramangala, Vijayanagar, ITPL, Banashankari and Shantinagar are planned to be taken up very shortly. In fact quite of few these center will act as Intermodal transfer nodes and will provide logistic support to MRT modes like – METRO, Mono-rail/LRT, BRT & CRS etc. through Park & Ride as well as other facilities. In fact as the MRT network grows some additional TTMC’s may be required and in some case a slight relocation of some of the following TTMC’s may be required.
The phrases in bold above are quite opposite to what is transpiring here. Were any TTMC relocations ever considered ? Where are the public conveniences such as food courts or mini-shopping centers ? What logistic support do these TTMC monsters provide for Metro ? None are at walking distance or close to Metro stations anywhere, except at Byappanahalli & Banashankari.
Mr Murali - the picture of Koramangala TTMC is frightening - looks like another Carlton tower in the making! Where is this TTMC coming up in Koramanagala ?
K'Mangala TTMC location
It's half way to the Games Village main gate going from the Sony World junction - on the same side. The monstrosity can be seen from anywhere - you can't miss it.
KML TTMC - Location Improper
What a location for a TTMC! I suppose it's in the same compound where the bus depot is.
The bus terminus for Koramangala is at Jakkasandra (intersection of Sarjapur rd & 80-ft peripheral rd), & a TTMC there would have made better sense since Monorail might pass through there along Sarjapur rd. Also, this location would have allowed buses to cut through Koramangala without adding distance to bus routes whilst also catering to adjacent neighbourhoods along Sarjapur rd such as KIOCL.
Planning for commuter convenience is being ignored wholesale.
There's more, and more
Transport Minister, Mr R Ashoka, reviewed construction work at the (TTMC) at Vijayanagar on Tuesday. The building will be ready by July. The TTMC will have state-of-the-art facilities, including ample parking space and other basic amenities. There will be a BMTC depot too. Construction started in August 2008 for Rs 53 crore, and is expected to be over by July. There will be more such centres at Shanthinagar, Whitefield, Kengeri, Banashankari, Yeshwantpur and Domlur.
He also announced that the Kempegowda bus station will have state-of-the-art infrastructure at the cost of Rs 45 crore. The project is awaiting the chief minister's permission. Once that's given, work will begin at the bus station, he said. The first floor will be reserved for BMTC buses and the second for KSRTC. The bus station will have parking space for 2,000 cars and 4,000 two-wheelers.
For the full report in the TOI, click here.
Who's bothered about minor matters like even the first of the TTMCs (Jayanagar) still being incomplete, unused, and fast getting dilapidated, even as many others, with bigger capacities, are also soon going to go the same way? Mr Ashoka's job is to give the citizens a glitzy Bengaluru, by hood-winking the ready to be hoodwinked JnNURM lot. Costs, repayments etc are somebody else's worry. The question that arises is how come the allocation for the prestgeous Kempegowda station is only Rs 45 cr, whereas for Vijaynagar it is 53 cr. Isn't it a kind of downgrading of the city's founder? Shouldn't we protest?
All's well
The DH report of 11th May states as follows:
The remodelling of Kempegowda bus terminus into ultra-modern and hi-tech infrastructure will begin shortly after the chief minister gives his nod, said Minister for Transport R Ashok on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters here, Ashok said the Rs 1,600-crore project at Majestic will involve remodelling of the existing bus terminal. “The chief secretary has already accorded his approval. The plan has been submitted to the chief minister and his final nod is awaited. The construction will begin thereafter,” Ashok said.
State-run BMTC has envisaged construction of 45 TTMCs, out of which only 10 have been taken up in the initial phase and one thrown open to the public (Jayanagar).
So, after all, there's no insulting of the city's founder as I had feared. Perhaps TOI reporter had made a mistake. Rs 1,600 cr investment is more befitting the stature of the founder. And, after all, there's the further 10 + 35 TTMCs going to add a lot more glitz to the city of his vision - LA, Tokyo, Dubai, Shanghai - just step aside, and make way for Namma Bengaluru. Viva BSY, R Ashoka, Katta!
You can't expect the common man to have the Neta's levels of vision - so, all this talk of consulting him, etc is just a lot of bunkum!
Only 1 thrown open to the public?
Who says only 1 TTMC has been thrown open to the public (Jayanagar). I know at least two more - Shanthinagar, and Shivaji Nagar.
Heavy investment into upgrading KBS will support the obsolete Central Hub based routing of BMTC. It doesn't fit with the new Direction based route scheme where the radial routes converge around the newly expanded CBD (the inner ring), and not at KBS.
Seriously, I would halve this investment, and use the money to build swanky bus stands at CBD entry points (Inner Ring - arrival points) and bus interchange points at ORR / Big-10 routes junctions (Outer Ring - entry points).
Someone needs to speak to the people who are planning these investments to understand their rationale, for they certainly would have reasons that we don't yet see.
money, money, money - - honey
to understand their rationale, for they certainly would have reasons that we don't yet see.
money, money, money - - honey, it's the 'visionary' neta's world - sung to the tune of the famous ABBA number
realtor BMTC
So, over 10 lakh sq ft of commercial space on offer between 8 TTMC's - check this. And, this does not include the Jayanagar TTMC, which, when last heard of, has been lying vacant from close to two years.
And, what happens to the NURM condidtion that the space created should not be used for commercial purposes? Perhaps time to raise a few RTI queries.
RTI query raised
I raised the following query with BBMP under RTI on 8th Nov. Still to get a response, though it's well over a month now. I am now going on appeal:
The BMTC has put up TTMC's all across Bangalore (eight in number, apart from the Shantinagar and Jayanagar edifices), and has offered commercial space on these to businesses, as per its advertisement dated 7th Sept, 2010, published in all leading newspapers.
In this regard, please advise
a) if the BMTC has obtained plan approvals from you for all the complexes,
b) if the BMTC has obtained occupancy certificates in respect of the Shantinagar and Jayanagar complexes which are already in use,
c) the figures for property taxes being paid by BMTC for the last three years in respect of the Shantinagar TTMC, and for the past year in respect of the Jayanagar TTMC.
Jayanagar TTMC parking gets a cover..
..and a lift !!
So finally its usable now..except that its a 6 person lift with a operator on a chair.. effectively a push and shove can accomodate 6 ppl in the lift!
Probably now..the other two un-occupied levels can also be changed for parking!
If there is Power.........
The lift at the Jayanagar TTMC works if there is power or there is Disel in the Generator or else you have to climb 4 floors....so make sure there is power supply before you park your vehicle in Jayanagar TTMC.
I wish the Traffic Police look at these practical difficulties the public faces before banning parking at other places and enforcing parking at the TTMC.
Imran.
massive
This is what the Koramangala TTMC looks like now - massive indeed! It was inaugurated over 3 months back. But, there's hardly any activity of new there - looks like it's still mostly empty. Obviously, matters like 'return on investment' are no major criterion for the likes of BMTC in making investments. Blow up the JnNURM funds, collect your cuts, and to hell with the rest!
now, TTMC-like thing near Devanahalli / Airport ?
Read in DNa today about our minister Ashoka announcing TTMC like things near BIAL. The news report was very fudgy, but it said talked of things like accomodation, caneen etc in a multi-level building, and that BMTC has already "purchased" land from BIAL for this (for Rs 2.35 crores). What's happening there??
TTMC
It would have made a lot of sense if the TTMC were just multi-level car parks, with the bus stand at the ground level, instead of "food-courts, banks, health centers, ATMs, etc" which Ashoka keeps dreaming about.
BMTC now into hoteliering
The Devanahalli project is a hotel - check the link below:
http://praja.in/en/blog/murali772/2011/06/20/bmtcs-vertical-integration
Rithesh Swamy from praja.in
Rithesh Swamy from praja.in said: “The TTMC has buses coming fromKundanahalli towards Whitefield. But these are the only buses that ply through it.... “With not enoughconnections to different places and adequate parking facilities in both the tech parks as well as the roads, why will people park at the TTMC?” askedRithesh.
Source
100 crore mistake
After spending close to 100 crores do you know what is the problem with the Yeswantpur TTMC? "The problem, according to TTMC officials, is clear—the design of the TTMCwas not well-planned." ...Though one of the objectives behind a TTMC is to decongest traffic in the area, the Yeshwanthpur TTMC seems to do exactly the opposite
Source
Speaks volumes about the capability of these people.
Problem may be with JNNURM
Problem may be with JNNURM itself because it was created to persuade the states to amend urban land ceiling laws. There were not much effor done to identify the projects. If the money was given for the project that are already needed rather than projects invented to spend money, it could have been beneficial. There seems to be some very good monitoring provisions, but there seems to be less attention to benefits of the projects. It is time to do a study or many studies regarding result of amending land ceiling laws on the inflated real-estate prices, who benefited from it, the consumers or the developers, etc.
Problem may be with JNNURM
Problem may be with JNNURM itself because it was created to persuade the states to amend urban land ceiling laws
& that is why the design of TTMC lacks common sense & sensitivity to the users? Thats a huge leap. Really we are running out of excuses for common sense.
information denied
The information sought by me, under RTI (check the post made by me on 23-12-10, above), stands denied, with some innovative help from Karnataka Information Denial Facilitation Commission. To read about that saga, click here.
no questions asked
On the contrary there is BMTC which has built 10 Traffic and Transit Management Centres (TTMC) by using the JnNURM funds. These buildings have bus bays, parking spaces for commuters, office and administrative spaces for BMTC to operate them and additional commercial spaces, which it rents out to other government and non-government bodies and capitalizes on its investment.
For the full report in the ToI, click here.
It may be added "though in total violation of JNNURM norms". Who is there to question, but?
Ashwin Mahesh saying the same thing on FB
https://www.facebook.com/...
Ashwin Mahesh is giving his opinion on the same - a total misuse of JNNURM funds.
scandalous
Over a period of four years, BMTC has spent around Rs 441.82 crore to construct 10 high-rise Traffic and Transit Management Centres (TTMCs) across the city. Spread among them is over 15 lakh sqft commercial area to be rented out: an apparently great scope to boost the transport provider’s earnings. But in reality BMTC has found no takers! More than 10 lakh sqft property is yet to be occupied, and BMTC is earning a rent of just Rs 14.16 crore per annum from the leased out space. From that amount, Rs 10.44 crore is being spent in interest payment. Plus, BMTC is paying Rs 47.96 crore as principal towards the loan availed.
In stark contrast to splurging on real estate, BMTC has spent a little over Rs 150 crore during the same period to procure new buses. In the last two years, not a single bus has been added to the fleet catering to the lower strata of the population. Only high-end Volvos have been procured.
All this makes one think whether BMTC is an agency to provide efficient transport system or a blundering, loss-making real estate firm. It could have built smaller TTMCs catering to passengers’ needs, over a dozen depots and couple of workshops to repair buses with the monetary aid it got from central and state governments. It could have avoided taking loan and paying interest on it year after year.
“Even the worst of real estate companies would not have made such bad investments. Why did BMTC build such big TTMCs with commercial area with money taken on loan? It smacks of suspicion,” an insider in BMTC told Bangalore Mirror. “It appears that someone down the line must have reaped heavily from this. A particular construction firm was given contract to build most of the TTMCs. This affair needs to be probed thoroughly.
“If at all it wanted TTMCs, BMTC could have gone for a joint venture with private players investing on construction of buildings and itself providing the land. The revenue earned could have been split.”
- - - “At present, there are only two workshops in the city — in Shanthinagar and KR Puram. The latter handles chassis-building only. At the Shanthinagar workshop, on any given day 500 buses await repair. Two or three more workshops in other areas could have improved the efficiency of BMTC buses,” the insider rued.
BMTC has more than 2,000 acres of vacant land at its disposal across the city for future development projects. Most of these sites have no fencing and are unguarded. Few of them have been encroached by land sharks. The money wasted on TTMCs could have been spent on fencing and securing these sites, another senior officer in BMTC said on condition of anonymity.
- - - Transport minister R Ashoka came out strongly in support of BMTC. “There is no vested interest in the construction of the TTMCs. The concept and funding is approved and supervised by the central government, which funds 30 per cent of the project. - - In the next 10 years, we will earn back both the interest and the principal amount spent on the TTMCs. And as the spaces are rented out for 79 years, the question of loss doesn’t arise.”
For the full report in the Bangalore Mirror, click here
Overall, an excellent investigative report. Only, the clause "it appears that someone down the line must have reaped heavily from this", should be atltered to include "someone up the line", and everyone knows who that is. A deeper investigation could easily nail the person (there's a hint here as to who it could be). It is badly needed lest the remaining 200 acres also get TTMC'd.
Apart from mis-use of NURM funds, the TTMCs are amongst the biggest contributors to the uglification of the city.
Real estate - the first resort of the scoundrel !
Rs. 442 Crore ? Could have bought 1700 buses - a 25 % increase in BMTC's bus fleet. My mouth waters at what could have been !
BSK TTMC colossal mistake
was at the BSK bus stand yesterday and there were busses everywhere and mega traffic jams at the entry to the bus stand..pedestrians were literally running for their lives there..I would say this TTMC is the worst of them all!
Domlur TTMC
Domlur TTMC is a total waste - no proper entry /exits, very few buses actually use it (most buses halt at bus stop on old airport rd due to difficult access for buses). Wonder what purpose these huge buildings will serve - most of the space is lying vacant.
Whitefield TTMC
And about the whitefield (ITPL) TTMC, lesser said the better!
It is such an inappropriate location for a TTMC.
Buses going from ITPL towards marathahalli does not enter the TTMC, and will cause huge traffic blocks if they were to enter it. There are few bus schedules force fitted to operate from the whitefield TTMC like 319CT or 335ET etc
New TTMC - redemption chance?
Two new TTMC's coming up in Bangalore..one is at Kalasipalya and the other is at BTM layout. Will the same mistakes as mentioned above in the post continue to be made or will there be corrections to make these more usable!
The main issues with the current TTMC's are:
With the Kalasipaslya stand, the current issues around that place is that there are way too many private busses that operate from there..these are both mofussil and long distance. It is important that these are also integrated in the plan and BMTC can charge for parking of these busses. Integration with metro station with easy exits needs to be done
Wit BTM layout, since the road abetting is a very busy road, the planning of entry and exits for buses need to be planned really well
Also the Bommasandra/jayanagar metro line would pass through that place in PH II..so integration with that is mandatory!
TTMCs will be good
I think the TTMCs at Kalaspaliyam & BTM will be better utilized than the others since locations are very apt with metro stations nearby + huge commercial potential & need for parking.
Jayanagar TTMC with More supermarket is now fully utilized & also the terrace parking is usually full. Toilets are well maintained & drinking water is available.
Wish all other TTMCs get used in similar manner as Jayanagar 4th blk TTMC.
TTMCs close to Metro will be parking facility for Metro riders
TTMCs close to Metro stations like in Banashankari, Attiguppe (close to Vijaynagar) will provide park and ride facility to Metro riders. Indirectly BMTC providing parking facilities to BMRCL riders.
shuttles?
But shouldnt there be shuttles for the last mile for both metro and the BIG TRUNK?
Guess its better to shun cars and the two wheeler..talking of which, if there needs to be planning for the future, should these TTMC's plan specific parking/stopping places for the mini-busses used for shuttles instead?
Shuttles should be present along with Parking facility as well
It is good to promote shuttles, but sometimes, the shuttles do not provide full last mile connectivity to the internal roads. For instance to reach Attiguppe station, it takes only 15 mins for me from Katriguppe via Byatarayanapura, or else it easily takes 30 mins to reach Nayandahalli, 10 mins walking to bus stop and 20 mins by bus.
Big Trunk, I don't know if it would be successful unless there is dedicated bus lanes. Feeders might be successful, trunk is nothing but providing more frequency for existing buses...
Shuttles should be present along with Parking facility as well
It is good to promote shuttles, but sometimes, the shuttles do not provide full last mile connectivity to the internal roads. For instance to reach Attiguppe station, it takes only 15 mins for me from Katriguppe via Byatarayanapura, or else it easily takes 30 mins to reach Nayandahalli, 10 mins walking to bus stop and 20 mins by bus.
Big Trunk, I don't know if it would be successful unless there is dedicated bus lanes. Feeders might be successful, trunk is nothing but providing more frequency for existing buses...
compelling argument
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that six to eight "world-class" bus stations will be constructed across the state in the near future. He inaugurated a GSRTC Bus Station that has been constructed under Public-Private Partnership at the cost of Rs 110 crore here this evening. The purpose was to provide airport-like facilities to the thousands of the passengers who travel by state transport buses, he said. The new bus terminal is spread over 2,039 sq mt and has a supermarket, shopping mall, multiplex, restaurant and food court, commercial offices, and a budget hotel on the premises.
For the full report in the Economic Times, click here. For a slideshaw of the pictures of the terminal, click here.
Compare this to our TTMCs, built by BMTC all across Bengaluru, which have very rightly be renamed TTMWCs (Traffic & Transport Mismanagement & Wastage Center) by a member (read his post of 5th May, 2010, above). The difference plainly is that one is a PPP, and the other a totally government job - for further elaboration, check this.
Can there be a more compelling argument for divesting the ownership of the infrastructure from the operator, while also bringing in more competition in the operations from the private sector (check this)?
yet another TTMC
no JnNURM? what about engineering?
All the rest of the TTMC's had the funding from JnNURM rt? Is this one different?
One of major issues with the TTMC's built earlier is the total lack of good engineered entry and exit points to the main roads. This has added to the total failure of these monolithic structures..
Guess they will never learn..or better, they dont want to learn!
No - Its MISENGINEERING
<WARNING: no useful information below :-) >
There are endless debates on all forums about how to fix this or that, whether it is a flooded city or flooded flyovers or expressway or how to generate electricity to run a train using solar panels.
Engineering has been forgotten - even the Romans knew how to prevent roads from getting flooded and so did we. We have progressed beyond that. Now, no there is no civil engineer who can build a bridge or road left. Welcome to the new field of WILFUL-MISENGINEERING. This has great future potential.
Starts with a small introduction to wilful misgovernance and specializes into various distinct areas, there are even specializations such as wall misbuilding so they collapse on pedestrians killing them, saving family planning funds. And would you like to build a flyover, so confusing people die just using it, another family planning first!
We seriously need to start Dewarding our misengineers and recognize their contribution to society. A permanent fund needs to be "set up" for this - we can suggest some person-tage of the JnNURM funds for this Ignoble cause.
<end of rant>
Limca award for number of white elephants created
While planning this bus terminus in Peenya, KSRTC didn’t follow the three cardinal rules: location, location, location. It spent Rs 40 cr, a colossal waste of taxpayer money as few commuters use it.
- - - KSRTC’s hopes of earning even the rent from commercial space leased out have been dashed due to poor response from the public.
The KSRTC, in 2014, had started bus services from Basaveshwara Bus Stand to cities and towns in northern parts of the state like Hubballi, Davanagere, Chitradurga, Haveri, Belgavi and other destinations. The KSRTC had started 140-odd bus services from the bus stand after shifting the services from Majestic Bus Stand.
However, within a few days of shifting the services, the KSRTC incurred a huge loss as there were no takers for services Basaveshwara Bus Stand after the services were shifted there from Majestic. There were various reasons why KSRTC failed to get the patronage from the general public. One of the prominent ones is that the existing bus stand is not very close to Tumakuru Road with passengers having to shell out additional money to commute from Majestic or other points to reach the destination. Even now, passengers prefer to board the buses by waiting on Tumakuru Road at designated points rather than go to Basaveshwara Bus Stand, which is about 800 metres inside.
On the other hand, shifting of the bus service had benefited private operators who were operating from Majestic areas. Considering these points, and the huge losses it incurred, the KSRTC finally decided to restore the services to Majestic.
- - - Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy said, “The previous government had sanctioned the project without applying the mind.
For the full text of the report (emphasis added by me) in the Bangalore Mirror, click here.
This government is no better, as brought out in my post of 3rd Oct, '14 (scroll above to check), as also here, where the talk is about the newly appointed Chairman wanting to build a super-speciality hospital, even as the Corporations are hard put to carry on their regular operations.
This is the same KSRTC about whose Limca record for number of awards won (check here), the CM has been tom-tomming to the world.
In my post of 6th March, '14 (scroll above to check), I had stated "Can there be a more compelling argument for divesting the ownership of the infrastructure from the operator, while also bringing in more competition in the operations from the private sector?" The question gains even more significance by the hour.
Meanwhile, perhaps the government could be nominated for a Limca award for maximum number of white elephants created.
I like it
Namaskhaara Muraliyavare.
I like it.
Here is a Praja link from the year 2013 (I hope it has not been moved) on the very subject of use of funds under JnNURM. I have personally visited a number of TTMC concrete monstrous, carbon spewing, so called commuter friendly facilities and found them miserably failing with 9.5 out of 10. :
http://praja.in/en/blog/v...
and its follow up hits from Prajas, for whatever it is worth and....?
KSRTC/BMTC charter of demands, vision and mission statements that prescribe their fundamental responsibility of providing speedy, economical and clean development management in public transport ; but these have been totally neglected and these two monolithic public service entities have become real estate developers with public money ploughed through JnNURM funding for creating commercial complexes for the use of certain vested interests. They must understand that buses do not run on upper floors but on roads and cater to the needs and requirements of the ordinary folks who want to commute to their work places on time and get back home on time. They come to the bus stations to board a clean and economic bus and not for picknicking or shopping. Instead of providing commuters good sheltered bus stops, running of clean and efficient public transport, KSRTC/BMTC have siphoned off JnNURM funds under the guise of TTMCs that are idling and are adding to the losses of the monolithic public transport system..
Vasanthkumar Mysoremath.