The bus-stand at Baramunda here would be renovated and transformed into an inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) at a cost of Rs 185 crore. This was informed by Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) Vice-Chairman Krishan Kumar on Wednesday after a review meeting in this regard in the presence of Chief Secretary AP Padhi.

While work for the project is scheduled to begin by the end of June and be completed within 15 months. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared in this connection, he said.

Besides, a place has been identified near Khandagiri for the purpose of a temporary bus-stand.

The Baramunda terminal, to be developed over a land of more than 15 acres, would have a 4-acre patch reserved for commercial development in future. In the rest of the area (over 11 acres) earmarked for the prestigious multi-modal transport hub with a greater focus on intra-city, intercity (intra-State) and interstate bus services, would mainly have a terminal area and a commercial area.

As per the concept design, the terminal area of 9,839 square metres would have a ground floor of 4,343 square metres and first floor to third floor 1,832 square metres (on each floor) making it a total of 5,496 square metres.

Similarly, the design has allocated 21,350 square metres to commercial area, out of which the ground floor would be 1,850 square metres, and there would be five floors (each 3,900 square metres) making it a total of 19,500 square metres. The commercial area would have a basement parking with 9,000 square metres of space, which would have a capacity to hold 300 ECS or equivalent car space.

The design components for the ISBT project would, however, integrate mixed land use development with commercial office space, retail space, multi-level car parking and open public space. The terminal would ensure passenger pick-up and drop-off (PPUDO) facilities for private vehicles, prepaid private vehicles, prepaid auto rickshaws, taxis, cycle rickshaws, and taxi-aggregator vehicles such as Ola and Uber.

The project would also ensure Wi-Fi connectivity, fire detection and fire fighting system, area-wide real-time parking information display system, passenger information display system, passenger announcement system, CCTV surveillance, water treatment system, use of alternate energy source like solar power, sewage treatment plant, effluent treatment plant for bus wash, elevators, escalators and building management system.

The ISBT concept design would be flexible enough to compliment the nearby areas, represent the culture, architectural elements used in buildings and monuments of Bhubaneswar city and aesthetically appealing while establishing a unique identity for a modern urban centre.

The ISBT would have easy access by people with mobility limitations and integration of transport and non-transport uses.

While the facility would have child-friendly features and design elements, all its nooks and corners would have mandatory adherence to the universal accessibility guidelines for the entire project.

While the design solution would include the possibilities of integrating future mass transport facilities as well, other components like IPT, passenger information centre and parking for physically challenged and VIPs would also be ensured.

At Baramunda, more than 1,000 buses are using the terminal daily; and it is a transport lifeline for thousands of commuters. The site is well-connected with the nearby NH-16 with two wide and accessible roads.