Yeddyurappa has an ambitious urban transport plan.

Mtoday news

Bangalore, Sept 23:  The State Government plans to build 17 Traffic and Transit Management Centres (TTMCs) in Karnataka, including 10 in Bangalore, that will offer integrated transport facilities along with other amenities to the citizens.
While three of the TTMCs have already been set up in Jayanagar, Kengeri and Bannerghatta, the rest will come up in Vijayanagar, Koramangala, Domlur, Whitefield, Banashankari, and Yeshwanthpur in the coming days. Further, other TTMCs will be built at Hubli, Belgaum, Udupi and Shimoga. 

 

Announcing this after inaugurating the largest and the costliest TTMC in the premises of the BMTC Bus Stand in Shanthinagar here on Thursday, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa hoped that it would go a long way in offering first and last mile connectivity through parking and ride facilities.

According to Yeddyurappa, he was initially reluctant becaus of the high cost of the TTMC- Rs 108.5 crore. "I didn’t believe the high cost. But I’m told the Centre would fetch an annual rent of Rs 10 crore and thereby recover the investment in nearly 10 years,” Yeddyurappa said.

Yeddyurappa also promised that the MG Road-Byappanahalli stretch of the Bangalore Metro would not miss its deadline and all works related to it would be completed by November. Earlier, Minister for Transport R Ashok said that the TTMC was the first such project to be funded under JnNURM. "Although the Mission has funded various infrastructure projects, it’s for the first time that it has funded a TTMC," he said.

The Transport department is considering introducing a single ticket for travel in BMTC and KSRTC buses and the Metro once the latter chugs from December. "We are thinking about it as it would be very useful to the citizens," he said.

 

Highlights

* The TTMC at Shanthinagar has been built on nine acres at a cost of Rs 108.5 crore. It has a built up area of 57,582 square metre.

* Work on the Centre began in July 2008 and it has been inaugurated on time.

* It has four waiting lounges, passenger enquiry and pass distribution counters, an internet café, retiring room, hospital, traffic control room, sitting lounges, and a garage.

* The parking lot at TTMC is the largest of its kind to be built by a government corporation and can accommodate 560 cars and 1,200 motorcycles.

* The Centre will have bus services to 286 routes with a total of 2,845 trips.

* 35% funds have been piped in by the Centre Government whereas the rest has been borne by the state government.

BSY praises Reddys for ‘cooperation’

A day after successfully inducting legislators of his choice into the Cabinet and snubbing the Reddy brothers by dropping three of "their’’ ministers, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Thursday refuted claims that there was conflict in the party following the Cabinet reshuffle.

The Chief Minister even made a direct reference to the Reddys and emphasised that all decisions were taken with their cooperation.

At the inauguration of the Shantinagar Traffic and Transit Management Centre (TTMC), Yeddyurappa said, "It is baseless to say that there is conflict in the party over the reshuffle. False information is doing the rounds through news reports."
The Chief Minister said people in the state are happy with the reshuffle in the government and as he noticed a few supporters in the crowd in a jubilant mood, he added, "They are jumping with joy." Chief Minister then went on to congratulate Transport Minister R Ashok, who is said to be close to the Reddys, and said that he would do good for the state as Home Minister. "Ashok has done well in his role as Transport Minister and has the calibre to do good for the state as Home Minister. Which is why we have given him that role," the Chief Minister said.
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However, it is believed that Yeddyurappa’s move to assign an important portfolio like Home to Ashok was to distance Ashok from the Reddys.

On his part, Ashok, on being appointed Home Minister, said, "I will not break the trust that the Chief Minister has placed in me and I will work for the good of the state." Ashok also promised to bring in reforms to change the image of the police. "Right now, the image of police before the common people is not very good, but that needs to change," Ashok said. Yeddyurappa asked people to give him time to bring more development in the state.