Bus stands would be the latest venues for modern multiplexes and glitzy shopping malls in Punjab. Realizing that most bus stands are usually located at prime locations in Chandigarh and other cities in Punjab and would be an attractive proposition for realtors, the Punjab Industrial Development Board (PIDB) has planned multi-storey structures, where the ground-floor would function as bus stand and the levels above would house showrooms, offices, restaurants and cinemas.
Top names of Indian real estate have already submitted their expressions of interest for this project. Bids have been invited for development of bus stands at Mohali, Patiala and Bathinda on PPP model. Applicants include DLF Ltd, Gammon Infrastructure, Nagarjuna Constructions, GMR, Unitech, TDI, India Bulls Real Estate, Parsvanath and Omaxe. Bids have also come from far off places like PD Aggarwal Infrastructure Limited (Indore), Akruti City, Oberoi (Mumbai), IDEB (Bangalore) and Bengal Silver Spring (Kolkata).
The name of developer will be finalized by October and construction will be completed in two years. The three bus stands being developed under this plan in the first phase include a green field project in Mohali on a six-acre plot opposite the Verka milk plant, a new bus stand on a 14-acre plot in Rajpura road in Patiala and refurbishing of the existing bus stand at Bathinda.
Finance Minister Manpreet Badal, said, “These are prime locations. We feel that most of our bus stands have been not fully utilized. A bit of imagination and planning can create a win-win situation for the commuters, who can have a modern bus stand, and the government, which can reap big gains.”
Part of the Dream Weave Walk Network 1998-2010