Visakhapatnam: Dwaraka bus station bracing for a 'smart' look

Visakhapatnam: From improved lighting to drinking water facility, renovated washrooms to cosy seating arrangement in waiting halls and new digital display boards, a host of smart amenities will be added to 21 bus stations, covering 13 districts across Andhra Pradesh.

In line with this, Dwaraka bus station in Visakhapatnam is going to undergo a drastic change in the coming days.

During pre-Covid times, footfalls in the bus complex used to be 60,000 passengers a day. Keeping the flow in view, the facilities have been provided at Dwaraka bus station. However, with Visakhapatnam gearing up to become the executive capital of the state, the Andhra Pradesh government decided to improve the existing bus station to cater to the growing requirement of the passengers and make it more convenient for them in future.

Currently, there are about 31 platforms in Dwaraka bus station and the buses make 2,000 trips (to and fro) per day to various destinations from here. "A reverse osmosis drinking water facility, a cloak room, an air-conditioned waiting hall, benches and wheelchairs for the differently-abled persons are among those available at the station at the moment," says K Venkata Rao, Chief Traffic Manager.

A third-party agency has been engaged to take stock of the amenities required from the time a passenger enters the complex to the time he exits. Based on the report generated, the department officials will chart out a plan on the amenities to be provided at the venue. "The focus will be on creating signboards and parking space, bringing uniformity in operating various shops at the station along with other infrastructure required for the passengers. Works will be initiated once we receive a final report from the agency. About Rs 15 crore has been allotted to develop 21 bus stations across the state," explains K. Venkata Raju, executive engineer, RTC.

Depending on the passengers' movement and amenities that are to be developed, funds will be allotted to the bus station. Once the development works get completed, the RTC officials say, Dwaraka bus station will paint a much-sorted picture.