A bus stop in Guwahati. File picture

Guwahati, May 9: The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) will reconstruct 44 bus stops in the city according to specifications by a firm that will be selected after a bidding process.

GMC commissioner Kavitha Padmanabhan said the bus stops will be constructed in a build-operate-transfer mode.

“The GMC will not spend any money in the process. The bus stops will be made in a build-operate-transfer mode and some firms will be allowed to build them at their own cost. The firms will regain the cost by ways such as advertising. Each bus stop will cost approximately Rs 5 to Rs 5.5 lakh,” she said.

Padmanabhan said the new design was universally accepted and implemented in cities like New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

The GMC plans to reconstruct 100 bus stops — 44 in the first phase. This will give a modern look to the city and add value to the urban infrastructure.

“In the first phase, we have chosen a few busy roads, including GS Road and RG Barua Road. The other roads will be covered gradually,” Padmanabhan said.

A GMC source said the sheds will be built of durable and weather-proof stainless steel and will have provision for litter-bins, a list of destinations and route display. The stops will have sitting arrangements with facilities for disabled persons.

After the bidding, the GMC will be allot work to the selected firms by May. The firms will maintain the bus stops for five years after which they will be transferred to the GMC.

At present, most bus stops in the city do not have even a bench for the passengers to sit.

In most cases, private vehicles are seen parked in front of bus stops, making it impossible for city buses to stop there.

There is also no provision to display information and persons new to the city face immense problems.