Proposal to use People’s Park for suburban bus terminal expansion dropped

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has dropped the proposed expansion of the suburban bus stand into People’s Park.

This is consequent to the KSRTC preparing a detailed plan for a new terminal at a cost of ₹100 crore on its own land at Bannimantap.

The issue came to the fore at a meeting of the stakeholders involving senior officials of the KSRTC convened by Mysore Grahaka Parishat (MGP) here on Wednesday.

At present, the area surrounding suburban bus stand in Mysuru is extremely congested. Traffic moves at a snail’s pace here. Opposite the bus stand is the road beyond which is a taxi stand. The authorities wanted the taxi stand to be relocated and the bus stand to be expanded into the People’s Park area to help accommodate an additional 100 buses.

The issue had raised concerns among activists as People’s Park in the heart of the city is an important lung space which has shrunk considerably due to the construction of a public library.

But at Wednesday’s meeting, KSRTC Divisional Controller Srinivas said in reply to a specific question on bus terminal expansion into People’s Park, that the proposal had been dropped.

History of encroachment of open spaces in Mysuru

Activists in the city had raised a hue and cry over open spaces and parks being encroached upon with impunity by the government departments, in violation of the law. At the stakeholder’s meeting, the KSRTC official was impressed upon the imperatives of conserving such open spaces and greenery of the city in the interest of public health.

Mysuru has a history of encroachment of open spaces and parks by the authorities and the stiff resistance to it put up by the NGOs with varying degrees of success. A proposal was made more than 15 years ago to shift the suburban bus stand to J.K. Grounds but it belonged to Mysore Medical College and Research Institute. Besides, it was notified as an open space and was designated as a playground and hence the plan was dropped.

More recently, construction activities in city parks like the one in Jayanagar, have been red-flagged by the NGOs bracing for a long haul ahead. Hence, the KSRTC’s decision to drop the proposal of expanding the suburban bus terminal into People’s Park, has been received with a sigh of relief.

Published - November 06, 2024 11:09 pm IST