Mangaluru: Finalization of an architect for the long planned Pumpwell bus stand is on the anvil. Its taken five months, but its now learnt that two architectural firms have qualified in the technical bid and the financial bid which is the final step before the work order is issued, will be opened this week.

N. Gokuldas Nayak, Commissioner (in-charge) and Deputy Commissioner (administration) said the civic body had 7.23 acres in its possession in front of the headquarters of the Karnataka Bank acquired in 2008.

The proposed bus stand would be built on it. The civic body has reserved Rs. 3 crore for its construction. The 7.23-acre land, with length of 306 metres and width of 60 m, is at a lower level than the National Highway 66.

This necessitates a service road from the highway for access to the bus stand.

There will however be no transport hub as envisaged by V. Ponnuraj, when he was the DC of DK.  He had then envisaged a full fledged facility for both KSRTC and private buses, which auto rickshaw, taxi and private vehicle parking, a luggage room, an automobile garage and other associated facilities on 20 acres of land.

That plan is now in cold storage. Mr. Nayak said that presently there was no plan of building a “transport hub” at Pumpwell as it required an additional 11.59 acres and the council of the civic body was yet to take a decision on acquiring the additional land which has been left for the Standing Committee for Town Planning and Improvement to decide. But, chairman of the committee D.K. Ashok Kumar said no decision had been taken yet, as till date the committee could not reach a consensus on whether to go for land acquisition or taking the land into possession through transferable development rights to people who would lose land.

Photo courtesy: H.S. Manjunath