Lucknow, Apr 7 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday approved a proposal to construct 49 new bus terminals equipped with airport-like amenities under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, officials said.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
State Transport Minister (Independent Charge) Dayashankar Singh, while briefing reporters, said the cabinet has cleared the proposal for developing 49 additional bus stations across the state under the PPP model.
He said in the first phase, approval had already been granted for 23 bus terminals, including three each in Lucknow, Kanpur and Agra.
Singh said the new bus terminals will be developed on the lines of airports, featuring facilities such as VIP lounges, restaurants and cinema halls, along with other passenger amenities.
He added that a modern bus terminal is already being constructed in Gomti Nagar in Lucknow at an estimated cost of Rs 1,000 crore.
With the approval of 49 more bus terminals, a total of 52 districts in the state will now be covered under the project, he said, adding efforts will be made to include the remaining 23 districts in the next phase.
The minister said tenders for the construction of these terminals will be floated soon, and developers will be selected through a competitive process. He added that the new phase is expected to attract an investment of around Rs 4,000 crore, while the previously approved 23 terminals had already drawn investments worth about Rs 2,500 crore.
Responding to queries on the inclusion of commercial facilities like shopping malls, restaurants and cinema halls, Singh said the idea is to reduce congestion in city areas by providing passengers with all necessary amenities, including lodging, dining and shopping, at the bus terminals themselves.
He said about 55 per cent of the space in these terminals will be used for public amenities, while the remaining 45 per cent will be utilised for commercial purposes.
The minister said the terminals are expected to be completed within two years.
In a related decision, the cabinet also approved proposals to transfer land free of cost to the transport department for bus terminal construction at Sikandra Rao in Hathras (two hectares of agriculture department land), Dibai in Bulandshahr (1.12 hectares of irrigation department land), and Tulsipur in Balrampur (two hectares of land between Harreya Tiraha and Devipatan temple), he said. PTI ABN ABN DV DV
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