Connectivity to Peripheral Ring Road, Greater Mysuru spurs mega proposal

Mysore/Mysuru: With the State Government moving to upgrade Mysuru into a Grade-1 Municipal Corporation (Greater Mysuru City Corporation) to accommodate growth over the next 25-30 years, the city’s transport division has begun drafting a major proposal to establish four advanced bus depots across four key directions of the city and a dedicated City Bus Terminal.

As Mysuru expands and demand for public transport surges along the Outer Ring Roads, officials are identifying strategic locations for new depots and a terminal. With new layouts emerging and more areas added to city limits, the pressure on the existing network has increased sharply.

The proposal aims to leverage the upcoming Peripheral Ring Road to facilitate seamless, direct bus operations from multiple points throughout the city. Transport Department officials plan to submit this proposal to Transport Minister R. Ramalinga Reddy within the next two to three days. Reports indicate the Minister has shown keen interest in the project.

Rising passenger load

Passenger numbers have been rising steadily every year, especially during the Dasara season when additional buses are deployed. Both the City Bus Stand on Sayyaji Rao Road and the Sub-Urban Bus Stand on Bengaluru-Nilgiri Road are operating beyond capacity.

For long-distance and rural routes, a state-of-the-art bus terminal is already under construction at Bannimantap at a cost of Rs. 120 crore.

To accommodate the imminent arrival of 100 electric buses, another supporting unit is also being planned at Bannimantap.

The Mysuru division currently operates 517 buses, including 127 from Nanjangud. With the new batch of electric buses, the fleet strength will rise to 617.

The Grade-1 upgrade and the Peripheral Ring Road are expected to widen city limits further, bringing more areas and villages into the transport fold. This will require an additional 200 buses, taking the city fleet to around 800.

New starting points for improved convenience

Currently, buses operate from the main city bus station and the final route starting points. With the Grade-1 expansion, more such points will be needed, including routes into private layouts. Establishing starting points near the Ring Road and Peripheral Ring Road will help distribute demand and improve route efficiency.

A proposal is being sent to the District Administration and the Mysuru Development Authority (MDA) seeking allocation of eight acres of land (Civic Amenities Site) in each of the four directions — six acres for a depot and two for a bus station.

Officials will request either Government land or permission to purchase private land. Setting up depots and stations near the proposed Peripheral Ring Road will not only ease passenger movement but also boost commercial activity. A formal request will shortly be made to MDA to identify and earmark suitable land.

Existing depots and expansion plans

At present, Mysuru has three depots — Hinkal, Kuvempunagar and Sathagalli. To strengthen connectivity with peripheral regions, plans are being drawn up for new depots along Hunsur, T. Narasipur, Nanjangud and H.D. Kote routes, making these points origin hubs for bus operations. A standalone City Bus Terminal is also part of proposal. As instructed by Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, initial proposal will club all four depots and terminal, after which a DPR will be prepared, based either on Bannimantap model or an alternative design.

Meanwhile, KSRTC has sought approval for  another 100 electric buses for Mysuru district, with infrastructure for their maintenance being readied at Bannimantap. A proposal has also been submitted to set up a bus station at Tagaduru.

H.T. Veeresh, Divisional Controller, KSRTC, Urban Division, said discussions were held with Minister and proposal to be submitted in the coming days, along with a request to district administration for land allocation.