₹590-crore second-phase development of Vyttila Mobility Hub in doldrums-OxBig News Network

The Vyttila Mobility Hub Society has so far achieved little after the commissioning of the first phase of the bus terminal over a decade and a half ago. Besides paucity of funds, VMHS also faces acute staff shortage.
| Photo Credit: H. VIBHU

The ₹590-crore second-phase development works of the Vyttila Mobility Hub are in the doldrums, around a decade after a plan was readied to implement it with private participation.

The Vyttila Mobility Hub Society (VMHS), tasked with making optimal use of the sprawling 25-acre premises as a prime inter-modal hub where buses, metro trains, and ferries converge, has so far achieved little after commissioning the first phase of a bus terminal over a decade and a half ago.

With much of the land on the eastern side of Vyttila Junction remaining underutilised and weed-infested, official sources attributed the inordinate delay in finalising the second-phase development works to the inability of VMHS to seek a loan—unless the society is re-registered as a company. A decision in this regard by the State government is overdue. Apart from fund paucity, VMHS also faces acute staff shortage, they added.

All this has resulted in the inability to augment bus bays, parking lots, and allied infrastructure. Consequently, inter-State luxury buses and many others are parked at the congested Vyttila Junction, leading to traffic gridlocks and accidents.

₹10-crore project

Faced with commuter ire and public criticism over the slack upkeep of the premises and the uncertainty surrounding the second-phase development of the State’s first inter-modal hub, VMHS has belatedly readied a ₹10-crore project to renovate the existing infrastructure at the hub, which is used daily by tens of thousands of bus, auto, metro, and Water Metro commuters.

With VMHS, headed by an IAS officer, reportedly lacking expertise, its executive committee decided to hand over the ₹10 crore to Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) to develop a park-cum-walkway on 5.50 acres of unused space between the existing bus terminal and the backwaters.

The park will feature, among other things, a sculpture gallery and food kiosks, it is learnt. This is in addition to renovating the terminal, primarily by relaying the undulated tiles and paver blocks.

A traffic re-routing plan is also on the anvil, and it will be implemented in consultation with CSML. These works will commence this month. While the bus terminal renovation is set to be completed by the end of May, work on the park is expected to take an additional month.