The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has set in motion a project to raise the ground level and renovate the bus terminal complex under a ₹1.50 crore project.

Of this, ₹1 crore was sourced from the corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and ₹50 lakh from the asset development fund of MLA T.J. Vinod. The renovation works are expected to be completed in another 10 months. The authorities were stirred into action after many decades, following unprecedented outrage on social media and other platforms over intense waterlogging and the unkempt state of the premises, official sources said.

“As part of this, work has begun to interconnect the drains and subsequently raise the ground to prevent waterlogging in the bus stand and garage premises. This will be followed by the construction of a wall to prevent water incursion from the adjacent canal, sealing of leaks in the bus terminal building’s terrace, and extension of the sheet-roof protection. Toilets will then be renovated, and the entire bus stand will be given a fresh coat of paint,” the sources added.

The agency had been at the receiving end of public ire over the shoddy condition of the Ernakulam bus stand complex and its premises, which get waterlogged even after a brief spell of rain.

Even as the Ernakulam bus stand and the Vyttila Mobility Hub premises remain ill-maintained, bus terminals in the suburbs are getting an image makeover. As part of this, a new bus terminal complex spread over 10,000 sq. ft. and equipped with dedicated bus bays is nearing completion at Kothamangalam, in the suburbs of Kochi. It is being built using ₹2.50 crore from the asset development fund of Antony John, the MLA who represents the region. Another ₹46 lakh was subsequently allotted for the purpose. A bus parking yard will also be readied as part of the project, it is learnt.