Team Goemkarponn
VASCO: In a significant step towards realising the long-awaited new bus stand project in Vasco, Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar and Navelim MLA & KTCL Chairman Ulhas Tuemkar, along with KTCL officials and government authorities, carried out a joint inspection of the existing Vasco KTC bus stand and nearby IOC terminal on Tuesday morning.
The inspection was aimed at assessing the feasibility of relocating the current KTC bus depot to make way for the construction of the new bus stand. Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar later confirmed that preliminary planning was in the final stages and expressed optimism that construction would begin within two months.
“This Vasco bus stand is a very, very long-pending project and the dream of every Vascokar. The planning has been underway for over a year now. The Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant has handed over the project to MBCC, a central agency, and the preliminary drawings are already ready. The work will be finalised in the next two months,” said Salkar.
Salkar informed that a 9,000 square metre land parcel belonging to the Mormugao Municipal Council had been identified for temporarily relocating the depot. “We are now checking the feasibility of this land to explore all possibilities before work begins. This is a big project and has many components like a depot, terminal, petrol pump, and even a ground, all of which we are considering as we finalise relocation plans,” he said.
He added that the inspection was carried out in the presence of the KTCL chairman and all concerned authorities to ensure that every department was aligned, since the project was nearing execution. “Once KTCL approves the final drawing in consultation with the Transport Department, we will proceed to tender the work. The idea is to have a high-quality bus stand that will serve the entire taluka and cater to the next thirty years at least,” said Salkar.
According to the Vasco MLA, after this joint inspection, a second round of meetings would be held with the Chief Minister to finalise all modalities of the project.
“In the past few years, there have been some trust issues because works were delayed and halted. But this time, I want to assure the people that many of the old pending projects are at the completion stage, and this bus stand project too will be taken up in totality. It shows the seriousness of the government. We are not doing lip service. Work will start in the next two months,” said Salkar.
He added that the construction would begin on a small scale and might slow down during the monsoon season, but full-scale work would resume by September.
The inspection marks a crucial step forward in delivering one of Vasco’s most long-anticipated infrastructure projects and has rekindled hopes among citizens who have waited years for a modern bus terminal in the port town.
