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Govt yet to grant approval for Tripunithura bus terminal project

Govt yet to grant approval for Tripunithura bus terminal project

Time of India6 days ago
Kochi: Tripunithura bus terminal project, which is part of the proposed Integrated Transit Hub project, is facing a major crisis as govt is yet to grant approval to Tripunithura municipality for proceeding with the project.
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As tenure of the current governing council of the municipality is going to be over within months, delay in state govt's decision may affect the future of the bus terminal project.
The much-awaited bus terminal in the city is a major project to transform Tripunithura into a transit hub, interconnecting Kochi Metro Station and Tripunithura railway station.
Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) and the municipality jointly decided to implement the bus terminal project near Metro station through land pooling, as land acquisition in the region causes an escalation of project costs.
Months ago, GCDA informed state govt that the authority was ready to prepare detailed project report (DPR) for the municipality. But govt is yet to grant approval.
"We have to complete many procedures to begin the work. As only a few months are remaining, it would be difficult for the current governing council to start the work," said municipality chairperson Rema Santhosh.
The project faced a major crisis due to lack of funds for land acquisition. Decision of GCDA and municipality to revive the project through land pooling rekindled fresh hopes regarding the project.
Earlier, municipality announced that it would lay foundation stone for the project before June 2024. However, authorities failed to even start the process of land acquisition or demarcation of land identified for the project.
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