Mangaluru: As many as 50 concerned citizens from Mangaluru the and nearby areas assembled at the Summer Sands Resort to partake in an interaction arranged by the Managing Director of the Resort, Engineer Aloysius Albuquerque Pai, on his new initiative, ‘The Travel Hub in Mangaluru’. The session was held at 5 PM on January 27.
Welcoming the gathering, Aloysius Albuquerque said, “The concept of a travel hub in Mangaluru is a project very close to my heart, as I have worked on this for 10 years. Now that the same has been proposed by the Mangalore Smart City, I am will present to you my project.”
Elaborating on his concept, Aloysius proposed that the hub should be a multi-tiered transport facility. “All transport systems need to converge at one point and an inlet and outlet for the convenience of the commuters,” he said.
He added that the various types of transport to be housed in the hub would be railway, outstation state transport service, private bus transport, Moffusil transport busses, taxi transport (buses, mini buses, cars and vans), private vehicles, high-speed monorail (to important destinations like port, airport, city center, etc.) and metro transport. All these various transport systems will be located on separate floors, the heaviest of the transport systems (Railway) being at the lowest level of the hub. The various floors will be connected by high speed elevators, escalators and conveyors for transport of heavy goods. “Movement on the same floor can be facilitated by electric vehicles, flat bed conveyors and top hung conveyors and trolleys for luggage,” Aloysius added.
For the convinience of the commuters, Aloysius said that his concept of the transport hub has facilities such as rest rooms, shopping areas, baggage locker rooms, first aid, police booth, business centres, waiting room lounges, public announcement systems and information desks. “Proper signage and floor pattern layouts will be erected. Advertising panels/electronic images will also be installed to make it easy for commuters to find what they want,” he explained.
With regard to the sustenance of the hub, Aloysius said that the facility can generate revenue by way of paid entry entry and parking, rent from commercial outlets, advertisements, conveyor charges for baggage transport etc. “The hub can generate revenue from the very first day,” he added.
Ullal MLA Mohammed Mukkachery, who was present for the session, extended his and his colleagues’ support for the travel hub concept. He said that he would encourage more people to lend their support and see that the concept is materialised at the earliest.
After the presentation, several participants began putting forth their suggestions and a discussion ensued. A train from Kasargod to Manipal, training of rickshaw drivers to deal with tourists, provision of brochures containing information about the city at the airport etc., were some of the suggestions that came out suring the discussion.
Social worker and activist Gerald Towers put forth his concern that presently, the city’s transport system is facing issues because of the bus owners’ and drivers’ mafia. He claimed that they are controlling travel in the city. “We need to put an end to this mafia involvement,” he said.
The interaction was moderated by Engineer and contractor Dinakar Ullal. It was decided that after further discussions, the proper documents would be submitted to Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil and officials connected to the Smart City Development.
Engineer Areef, Capt Pais, interior designer Zakir Hussain, entrepreneur and travel professional William D’souza, architect Er Ashok Mendonsa, founder of Mangalore Alzheimer’s Association Er Jeradin D’Souza, member of MCC civic group Nigel Albuquerque, NRI Moira Albuquerque, AAP convener Er Rajendra Kumar, other architects, and engineers were among those present.
