An endless wait by commuters

Khammam: If entering Khammam bus terminus is like a jigsaw puzzle, boarding a bus here is even more intricate. Such is the kind of situation the commuters, who access the main bus station here that was built some four decades ago when the city was a Grade-II municipality, were facing.

Now, having transformed into a Corporation in 2012, the existing bus station which is located at the heart of the city in about 2.5 acres appears dwarfed by the huge growth of the city.

The existing bus station which has eight platforms is no match to the present-day requirement. It may be noted here that geographically Khammam plays a pivotal role to those travelling to Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh States. With close to 700 bus services passing through every day, the bus station is cramped for space.

It is also a herculean task for the drivers coming into and exit the terminus as the premises is always well occupied by a large number of buses and commuters. As if it was not enough, the travellers also enter the premises with their bikes and cars making it more difficult for the bus drivers.  

The denizens’ demand was finally met with the government according administrative sanction for the construction of a spacious bus station a couple of years ago. The authorities who initially considered Vijaya Dairy site for the Rs 25-crore bus terminus has finally zeroed in on the 7.5-acre site belonging to Nagarjunasagar Project (NSP) camp.

According to the design, the proposed state-of-the-art bus station to have 30 platforms and a cellar parking along with modern facilities to cater to the needs of the commuters and the RTC crew. It was also planned to construct a mall-cum-multiplex in about 2.5 acres on the premises of the new facility in the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode.

Although the foundation stone for the facility was laid last year, the work on bus station construction began only in this March. A timeframe of nine months has been fixed for the completion of bus station.

Speaking to The Hans India, Khammam MLA Puvvada Ajay Kumar who is regularly monitoring the progress of the bus station work, said: “The bus station works are in full swing and we are trying to make it happen as early as possible.”