Rajkot: Vijay Rupani inaugurates bus port of GSRTC

“You would recall how buses of ST (state transport) used to be in Gujarat. They would be creaking, would not have windows... But thanks to Narendra Modi, the then chief minister of Gujarat and today’s Prime Minister, we have bus stations that look like airports," Rupani said while addressing a public meeting at the new bus port.

Vijay rupani, gsrtc, Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation, rajkot news, gujarat news, indian express news

CM Vijay Rupani at the new bus port in Rajkot, Saturday. (Express photo)

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani inaugurated the new bus port of Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) on Dhebar Road of the Rajkot city on Saturday. While inaugurating the new bus terminal, the CM announced that the state government would construct two new satellite bus stations in Rajkot to cater to the growing passenger traffic in the city.

“You would recall how buses of ST (state transport) used to be in Gujarat. They would be creaking, would not have windows… But thanks to Narendra Modi, the then chief minister of Gujarat and today’s Prime Minister, we have bus stations that look like airports. He took initiative to create world-class facilities in Gujarat. He insisted that bus stations have food zones, cinema halls, clean toilets. Now, there are iconic bus ports in Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Ranip, Mehsana and Surat,” Rupani said while addressing a public meeting at the new bus port after formally dedicating to public the new project.

The first modern bus port was inaugurated in Vadodara on public private partnership (PPP) mode. Subsequently, similar bus ports have been constructed and inaugurated at Geeta Mandir and Ranip in Ahmedabad city, Mehsana and Surat. Rajkot becomes the sixth GSRTC bus station to be redeveloped on PPP mode.

The CM also announced that the GSRTC would construct two new satellite bus stations in Rajkot. “We know that Rajkot city is growing. Keeping this in mind, we shall construct two new bus stations – one on Bhavnagar Road and the other at the junction where the Ring Road meets Jamnagar Road,” said Rupani.

The CM said that after 42 members of a marriage party died after the truck in which they were travelling in fell off an under-construction bridge in Ranghola village in Bhavnagar district in March, 2018, the state government had decided to offer on rent GSRTC buses to ferry marriage parties. “We are giving these buses on rent for Rs 1,500 only to the poor living in villages so that the marriage parties can travel safe,” Rupani said.

He added that the state government was modernising the fleet of 8,500 buses of GSRTC by phasing out 1,000 buses every year and replacing them with modern ones. “Many question why GSRTC is incurring losses even as private bus operators are making profit. But I want to make it clear that for us, GSRTC is a public service and not an enterprise to make profit. We want to ensure that not a single village is without at least one trip of an ST bus,” said Rupani.

The inauguration comes on the eve of the 71st Republic Day. Rajkot, which is home town of Rupani, is hosting the state-level R-Day function this year.

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The CM had laid the foundation stone of the Rajkot bus port in April, 2017. The project was to be completed in three years. However, M.V. Omni Shayona BIPL (Rajkot) Private Limited, a joint venture of Ahmedabad-based Shayona Group, Brookland Infrastructure Private Limited, Ahmedabad and MV Omni Project (India) Private Limited, Ahmedabad completed it around three months before schedule.

The new bus port has two levels of basement for parking, 20 platforms for passengers to board and deboard buses, administrative office, food stalls, restaurant, cinema hall, dormitory for passengers, rest rooms for bus drivers, general waiting room, ladies waiting room and many more.

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