Mangaluru: The Mangaladevi Bus Terminal in Mangaluru — opened twice this February by both BJP and Congress leaders — has remained unused for nearly half a year. Not a single bus bound for Mangaladevi had been operating from the newly built terminal since its dual inauguration.
After consultations with bus owners and other concerned parties, Mangaluru Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Shridhar K. Mallad has proposed that all Mangaladevi-bound services should start from the facility. This plan will be confirmed during the Road Transport Authority (RTA) meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner Darshan HV on August 18. Once approved, buses will begin using the bay constructed by Mangaluru Smart City Limited (MSCL).
The issue of the idle terminal was recently brought up by residents during a Transport Adalat. MSCL had invested ₹5.9 crore in several developments in the area — including a primary health centre, a veterinary hospital, and a bus bay 110 metres long and 11 metres wide, with a four-metre footpath.
The foundation for these projects was laid in 2021 by then-mayor Premananda Shetty, who had also coordinated with MCC Commissioner Ravichandra Naik and the RTO to get the terminal operational.
Interestingly, the site saw two separate inauguration events — the first on February 9, led by then-mayor Manoj Kumar, MP Capt Brijesh Chowta, and MLA D. Vedavyas Kamath, and the second on February 15 by minister Rao, who also launched other civic facilities. Despite this, the terminal remained non-functional until now.