Greater Mysuru push: KSRTC eyes infrastructure boost with four new depots

With the government of Karnataka giving its nod for Greater Mysuru, the city is poised for further expansion. Anticipating the growing mobility needs, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has set its sights on strengthening intra-city transport, preparing a long-term plan for the next 10 years.

Even as the daily passenger load has seen a two- to three-fold rise over the last two-and-a-half years, the corporation aims to be future-ready by developing infrastructure that can support the city’s rapid growth.

As part of this effort, the Mysuru City Division of KSRTC has proposed setting up four new depots in different directions of the city to bolster public transport. For this, it requires CA sites and has prepared a proposal to be submitted to the Mysuru Development Authority (MDA), seeking allotment of such sites.

Divisional Controller Veeresh K. T. said the city division presently operates three depots — Kuvempunagar, Sathagalli and Vijayanagar — and the existing infrastructure may not be adequate to meet future demand. He pointed out that Mysuru’s two-wheeler population has doubled since 2011, while four-wheeler numbers have also risen significantly, underscoring the need to enhance urban mobility.

“Taking this as a cue, we want to strengthen the public transport network for the convenience of commuters by providing improved and efficient mobility,” he said.

Encouraging public transport will help reduce road congestion and pollution, he added. “Moreover, we must plan in accordance with population growth. For instance, BMTC in Bengaluru had 32 depots in 2011. Today, it has 50 depots with about 7,000 buses.”

Currently, the Mysuru division operates 517 schedules, including nearly 390 within the city limits, carrying 3.90 lakh to 4.16 lakh passengers daily.

“We have plans to build new depots in Yelwal, Bannur Road, H.D. Kote Road and Bogadi. If we receive CA sites and land in these locations, we will draw up detailed project plans for the future,” Mr. Veeresh said.

According to him, at least six acres of land is required for building a full-fledged depot, while two acres is essential for developing a city bus terminus.