Tirupati: The much-awaited intermodal bus station project here has attracted fresh attention after the National Highways Logistics Management Ltd (NHLML) conducted a site inspection on Sunday. The facility will be jointly managed by the company and the NHAI.

Company CEO Prakash Gaur and Project Director Pooja Mishra, accompanied by Tirupati MP Maddila Gurumurthy, attended a review meeting at the Central Bus Stand and inspected the premises to take the matter forward.

The station is proposed to be built on a centrally located 13-acre site. The aim is to reduce traffic congestion by bringing together various modes of transport at a single hub. The facility will include a passenger terminal, bus stand, parking for cars and two-wheelers, a helipad and a cable car.

This visit comes two weeks after the MP met Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and asked for action on this front. Gadkari confirmed that the tender process would be completed by next month and the work would start after that, the MP said.

The project proposed by the central government has been stuck for the past two years due to objections from the city planning authority over the permitted number of floors in the new complex.

Originally a 15-story building was planned, but the design was adjusted to 11 stories to address these concerns.

“All the approvals were obtained during the tenure of the YSRC government, but the construction process was stopped due to changes in the design and implementation of the election rules,” Gurumurthy told Deccan Chronicle.

Other features of the project include retail zones, a food court, a hotel, a passenger lounge, enthusiast counters, a medical facility, baby changing rooms, ATMs and an electric vehicle charging station,” the MP explained.

He noted that the current bus stand is overcrowded and carries an average of 180,000 passengers and handles over 4,000 buses daily. With the ever-increasing number of pilgrims in Tirupati, the existing infrastructure is bursting at the seams.

A pedestrian bridge and skywalk will connect the central bus stand with the railway station, improving intermodal connectivity, Gurumurthy said.

The facility is managed by NHAI in collaboration with NHLML. On August 18, 2022, a MoU was signed between NHLML and AP State Highway Corporation for joint development of the station.