After a long wait, Alappuzha town can finally shed its tag of being the only district headquarters in the State that does not have a private stand. The construction of the V.K. Soman memorial municipal bus stand at Vazhicherry has been completed and is being readied for its formal inauguration.
Speaking to mediapersons here on Tuesday, Alappuzha municipal chairperson Mercy Diana Macido said the facility would be commissioned by Urban Affairs Minister Manjalamkuzhy Ali on Thursday. The function will be presided over by T.M. Thomas Isaac, MLA. Legislators G. Sudhakaran, P. Thilothaman, district panchayat president U. Prathibha Hari and District Collector N. Padmakumar will also participate in the function.
The bus stand has been named after V.K. Soman, who was the municipal chairman during the period 1979 to 1984.
The construction was undertaken at an estimated cost of Rs. 77 lakh on a plot of 1.40-acre plot, which was earlier used as a lorry stand until two years ago.
The work was executed jointly by the engineering wing of the Alappuzha municipality and the Centre of Science and Technology for Rural Development (Costford), an accredited agency.
The foundation stone for the facility was laid on November 23, 2014. The construction work faced delay despite the municipal authorities setting a 100-day target for its completion.
A Rs. 12-crore project has been prepared by the municipality for the second phase development of the bus stand. However, further development would require the acquisition of a plot of 16 cents adjacent to the bus stand, Ms. Macido said.
The various facilities at the bus stand include three bus-bays, seven shops, rest-rooms for passengers and municipal workers, canteen, bus operating room and a police aid-post.
It also has the capacity to accommodate around 40 buses at the same time.
The foundation stone for the bus stand was laid on November 23, 2014. The construction work faced delay despite the municipal authorities setting a 100-day target for its completion.
